An Open Letter to The Police Officer I See Every Morning at 4 AM

Every morning, there's a police officer stationed on the side of the roadway on our commute to work. I want to say thank you.

We leave for work pretty early, taking the arterial from New Hartford, through Utica, into Marcy where we work. It's quiet at that hour. In the summer, it's not quite warm, and in the winter, the air is still and cold. It's not unusual to see only one or two other cars on the road. Sometimes we don't see any.

Except for a lone police officer, stationed so he faces the oncoming traffic, just off the roadway, in the darkness. I know he's there (or maybe she) because I've seen him nearly every day for months.

Thank you. Thanks for keeping watch. Thanks for keeping us safe.

Every so often, I'll come across a minor accident when a car slides across the exit ramp over the canal, because it's surface frreezes faster than the roadway. In frigid temps, in darkness, there's an officer - usually two - tending to the driver, and directing my vehicle around the scene. In fact, there was one yesterday.

I head to my job in the early morning, and I complain a little about the crazy hours, and feeling tired. But I can be confident no one is going to hurt me today. I'll go home at the end of the day.

Thank you officer - whoever you are - for keeping me safe. For watching over the city. For giving up your time and your safety for ours. I appreciate it.

Sincerely,  Beth