Wednesday, August 6, 2003

I am a mother of an infant boy. On Aug. 1, I tried to put in a new car seat. My husband and I did not think it was in properly so I decided to go to the Peachtree City Police Department for help.

When I arrived and went inside, I told the girl at the front desk what I needed. She told me there were two officers there certified but they would not help me without an appointment, even though they were present inside the building.

I told her my child was in the car seat outside and I was worried he was not properly buckled in and all I wanted was a police officer to look over it to make sure he was OK.

She replied, "No." She asked me if I would like to make an appointment. I was so mad I said, "No," because I was more concerned about the safety of my child now than later.

I then went to the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and asked someone to help me. Within a matter of minutes two deputies (Mike James and Jason Tutterow) came out to my car to help.

They took about an hour of their time to install the car seat and go over several questions I had. I asked them if they thought it was important to oversee this situation about my child's safety and they agreed it was.

It's nice to know they cared enough about my child's safety. I no longer have faith in the Peachtree City Police Department due to the fact they won't take any of their time to help a citizen unless it's by appointment. Thank goodness the Fayette County Sheriff's Department cares about children's safety.

Peggy L. Stapleton

Peachtree City, Ga.