Wednesday, July 16, 2003

I just can't help it, I have to finally give into my overwhelming feeling of obligation to stand up for the Peachtree City Police department ... after reading the letter written recently by Mr. Appelhans regarding the golf cart law.

First, I have been a resident of Peachtree City for 22 years, have attended all the city schools, and was a teenager in Peachtree City. I know the opportunity and danger of the cart paths, especially to a 15-year-old with little driving experience.

I have scars from a golf cart accident when I was a teenager, after being thrown from the cart while acting childish, so I have been there. I also have four kids who frequently try to ride their bikes on the path, but are often faced with speeding carts who run them off the path.

I, myself, am afraid to take my kids on rides because of the many blind curves where they could meet a cart head on, no matter who is driving. I have been hit head on by another adult who was not paying attention on one of those curves. I shudder to think if she had hit my 6-year-old who was a few yards in front of me.

So I agree with you, Mr. Appelhans, that most 15-year-olds should not be driving on the paths unsupervised, and I know there are always exceptions. I have also been on the other side, in a uniform.

I am a former police officer for Peachtree City. I myself have patrolled these carts more times than I can count. I was regularly assigned to the cart paths in a golf cart, on a bike, or on foot. I also patrolled cart paths in my assigned area of the city on my own during a regular patrol shift.

The police department is doing the best they can and with the many miles of paths to cover, there is no way they can be everywhere. When they can, I know they enforce the law, not because of a supposed "quota" or because they supposedly enjoy "harassing teenagers," but because they are sworn to uphold the law. Also because they have seen the effects of reckless driving on golf carts.

In my four years with the department, I responded to regular medical calls on the cart paths because of golf cart injuries. Some of those injured had to be taken via helicopter due to serious injuries, and many were children.

I believe that as a community, we cannot place the sole responsibility of keeping the citizens safe on the paths on the shoulders of the police department. We have an obligation as parents to police our own children, report dangerous behavior and obey the laws our elected officials have made.

So, yes, they call parents to come pick up their underage children, and the parents often also get charged themselves for allowing their children to drive. And, yes, there are often officers somewhere on the paths, day and night, but you might never see one.

Until we have an unlimited amount of officers on duty who can answer the many calls for service in the community and be highly visible around the clock on the paths, we need to be thankful for the attempt the police department is making in trying to keep all the citizens safe, both in our homes, on our roads and on the cart paths. My family is.

Heather Horne

Peachtree City