Dover's constables

In early spring the Dover Town Board held several town meetings addressing the idea of hiring a town constable. The town board encouraged input, very few public comments were made in opposition thus the town hired their own constables.

Constables used to patrol Dover, enforcing town ordinances, addressed residence complaints. Some time back the town board felt Racine County Sheriff's Department could do a better job, so they released our constable. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what would happen next; limited patrolling meant less enforcement. Speeding through our neighborhoods increased, town ordinances were not supervised and crime jumped.

Now that Dover's constables are back, speeding has slowed down, vandalism is at a minimum and our ordinances are being upheld. Why would someone complain with those results? There are a few business owners in town who feel they are being selected out. Others feel they are not guilty of speeding or running stop signs and others feel they're just not guilty of doing anything wrong. There are two sides to every story; that is why we have a court system. Keep this in mind: If you weren't doing something wrong then you have no reason to have a visit with our town constable. We all learned how to drive, 35 mph means 35 mph, stop signs mean stop. Dover - the law is back in town.

Monday at 7 p.m. at Dover's Town Hall, you can voice your own opinion on whether Dover should keep constables for law enforcement.

Patrick Haley

Dover

Veterans Day's true meaning

As a proud Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran who is preparing for Veterans Day, I find it tragic that so many of my fellow Americans view Nov. 11 as just another day off work.

I lost friends in several wars and I vowed that their lives would not be lost in vain. With wars on two fronts - and the Veterans Administration workload topping 1 million claims - it's time for all Americans to remember the true meaning of Veterans Day. I hope everyone in our area will remember what Veterans Day is all about.

Call one of our local Veterans of Foreign Wars posts to take part in our ceremonies. And as we near the holidays, please keep our deployed troops and their families in your prayers. Send a care package or donate to a program that supports our troops and veterans, such as VFW Operation Uplink, www.operationuplink.org. Always remember those who have fought for your freedom!

Sgt. Susan Merlo, retired

U.S. Army Reserve

Waterford