A letter from a reader, strongly supporting the efforts of our PBSO officers...

Dear Mr. Blackman,

I am writing you this email to redact an incident that happened to me which involved PBSO. On Sunday evening November 23, 2014 at approximately 10:00pm, I went to Walgreens at 531 South Dixie Highway seeking some relief for my sore throat and other agonizing flu symptoms. Well in my flu induced misery I realized that I had left my son’s car keys inside the car. I called AAA from the phone in Walgreens, I had left my cell phone at home, and they informed me Pop-A-Lock would be out in one hour to assist me. As I sat near the car with shopping bags on the floor of the parking lot a man came over and began attempting to get familiar and when I looked behind me I realized Walgreens had already closed. I gave him my best “don’t mess with me attitude” and he left me alone. A young man walking by witnessed what happened and flagged down a PBSO car passing by Walgreens and Sgt. John Wink and Deputy Sheriff Joseph Durso pulled into the parking lot.  I explained what happened to them and they were very helpful.  They called AAA to inquire what was taking so long with Pop-A-Lock since it was getting quite late, it was nearly midnight. They explained to AAA that I was a 70 year old senior by myself in a not so nice area. Sgt. Wink and Deputy Durso assured me they would not leave me alone and they didn’t.  At almost 1am PoP-A-Lock showed up and open the car. The officers were so gallant, they spent an hour with me by my side and they were so gracious and friendly. They even put my groceries in my vehicle. I praise and herald their going above and beyond their call of duty. It is truly something to be commended.  

In closing I will reveal why I was motivated to write to you and hope that you make my correspondence public. I recently was shown a picture, by my son, posted on your blog of a protest at PBSO District #14 Office and there was a dreadful sign that read “PBSO is worthless”. It turns my stomach to see this kind of underhanded, cowardly assault on our PBSO. Last year my neighbors house was broken into. After several neighbors meeting with PBSO about our concerns they parked one of their vehicles in front of my house for approximately two weeks. I have conducted several meetings in the living room and dining room table of my home with Benito Gaspar and several residents who were victims of crimes but were too scared to report it by calling the Sheriff or going to the station, so he came to us in a setting where the victims felt safe. That is not evidence of worthlessness to me! I stand behind PBSO 100%.  If there is one displaying bad behavior it is quite insipid to disparage the entity as a whole. I will share with you one more irrefutable fact and that is that I did not buy my home in Lake Worth until the Sheriff took over. I loved Lake Worth before that but had little to no faith in the Lake Worth Police Department being able to keep me safe due to their lack of resources and the death grip the deadly Top 6 gang had on this city. Watch CNN’s Gangland http://youtu.be/Few2FWhbkds . That is more than enough proof to show how much worse off we were before we contracted PBSO. In this taxpayers eyes, they are well worth every penny! Thank you Mr. Blackman for affording a public venue to share positive truthful information.  I thank Captain Silva for his leadership that allows for knights in shining to be patrolling our neighborhoods!

Respectfully,
Ms. X