Walk This Way (July 6)

Often on the Atlantic City Expressway outside of Philadelphia there sat a police car.

For a good year or so, I always suspected it was there to slow speeders down.

One day I had a flat tire near where the car was supposedly watching for speeders. I say supposedly because at that point I found out the car was empty. It was only being used as a deterrent.

If there is one thing I've noticed since I have moved to Clovis, it is that there are a lot of police cars in town. You really cannot drive for more than five minutes anywhere in town without seeing at least one, either parked at a house, driving down the road, or responding to calls for assistance.

And so I will say this: The appearance of a police presence in this town is enough to make sure I check my speed, and to make sure I do not roll through a stop sign.

I am sure many have stories -- good and bad -- about the police in this town, but strictly from a presence standpoint, they give the impression of a deterrent for me.