The entire sworn personnel complement of the department consisted of the Sheriff, the Chief Deputy and two patrol deputies. That was it. I miss that county. To me, law enforcement is tracking an Alzheimer's patient for four hours through the boonies after he wandered away from home; answering a 911 call because a rattlesnake is about to eat a nest full of baby birds; and scaring off ghosts because the lady of the house lost her husband ten years ago, her children live out of state, and you are the only outside contact she gets. For me, being a cop is about keeping an eye out for a black-and-white dog of indeterminate ancestry, red bandanna, whose 9-year-old owner is crying his eyes out. Most new officers will start out in medium-to-large cities/counties and never know what it's like to patrol when your only back-up is 45 miles away as the cruiser drives - and asleep in bed, to boot. So, I tell stories and hope that through those, the Gentle Reader can get a glimpse of what it's like to be a Western small-town, rural Peace Officer