With longevity and seniority, common sense and  respect should follow…

Working beat 1722 for a while, I got to know certain people on the beat and repeat callers.  One caller happened to be the daughter of a man suffering with Alzheimers.  A couple of times a month, he would wander away causing great anxiety in his daughter, his sole care-giver.  After my first contact with the missing person, I realized  that he happened to be a retired Chicago Police Officer.  After returning him home one afternoon, I stayed down on the job and drove to the closest hospital.  I requested and received a plastic informational bracelet that they place on patients entering surgery.  With his name, address and phone number on it, I drove back to his house and the daughter gratefully secured it on his wrist. When the next time came that he was on the loose again, if I could locate him I would quickly notify the daughter because I now had her phone number.  I would then place my missing person in the front seat of the squad car and “go on patrol.”  On occasion, if the radio was quiet, I would take my new partner to Dunkin Donuts for a reminder cup.   After he got a taste of “policing”, I would return him to his loving daughter.  Having  explained where we went she was elated to see the huge smile on his face.  Then and there I realized that some of the more important things in life are small and that our time should be used wisely, and not only spent on law breakers.