We do quite a bit of chatting behind the scenes, both online and in the real world. Some of our admins are or have been first-responders, another works closely with the poor, and so on, so we hear and talk about a lot more than just the news headlines we share daily with you folks. From time to time these private discussions are quite interesting, to say the least. On this particular occasion, we were given permission to share this letter which was written to a local police department:
Dear Town of Poughkeepsie Police,
I wish to extend to you a letter of thanks, and apology.
A few weeks ago I was found in a drunken stupor, and acting belligerently. Though I remember nothing of the incident myself, being "blackout" drunk, I am told by those who witnessed the incident that I was, quite simply put, out of control. I recently suffered yet another family tragedy, which led up to my foolish behavior and bad choices. That is not meant to be an excuse, just a point of explanation of how the situation evolved. It is also true that I suffer from both mental and physical disabilities. Again though, my own poor choices are ultimately what led to my embarrassing state that day.
I am told that during a melee with several officers, I actually kicked one officer. I want to apologize whole-heartedly to that officer in particular for my offense. Now too then, my apologies go to all of the officers involved, for being called out to manage my foolish behavior in the first place. I also want to thank those officers for the manner in which they handled the situation. I am well aware that things could have absolutely gone a lot worse for me, but the officers at the scene managed to de-escalate the situation successfully with distinct professionalism and discretion.
Although this was ultimately just a blip on the radar in the day in the life of a police officer, I intend to make this letter public, in order to show how police handle situations. In America today we often see headlines and news stories showing police in a negative light, but I feel it is important to show another side. Police officers respond to thousands upon thousands of "routine" calls just like this one, that the public never sees nor care to think much about. So as a token of my appreciation for you officers being there to help, how you handled my situation, and for the work that you do in general, I will be posting this letter to social media as well.
Once again officers, my most sincere apologies and warmest thanks. Stay safe out there.
Humbly,
A Local Citizen
Police were assisted at the scene by local EMS services.
