when I really wish that my status as a qualified reserve deputy of the local police department had more authority. I just witnessed a dark colored pickup truck run a stop sign, and nearly caused an accident. At the very least, the driver was guilty of careless driving. Yet, because of insurance considerations, I have no actual function within the local police department, and I have no direct communication with them, other than to call the emergency phone line to report the crime to the emergency dispatcher. Which, if we’re being honest, is nearly worthless, because by the time I got to my phone and placed the call, would allow enough time that the truck would be nearly anywhere.

I see several such incidents from my front porch every week, and there are no CCTV cameras close enough to the intersection to allow the full-time LEO’s (Law Enforcement Officers) to monitor the intersection. At the very least, I’d like to have a radio which allowed me to call mobile units directly and report my observations when it would be appropriate to do so.