Local police go above and beyond assigned duties

Unfortunately, reports of police abuse are in the headlines, not news about actions officers perform daily making Cedar Rapids a safer place to live for all citizens.

One of those officers came to my rescue just after 6 p.m. on a recent Sunday. I had just turned onto busy Edgewood Road NW when my front passenger tire blew, flat as a pancake, down to the rim. As I was calling my auto roadside service, a Cedar Rapids police vehicle pulled behind me, protecting my car from traffic.

Upon explaining why I was blocking a lane, the officer asked if I had a spare tire and jack. He then changed my flat tire for me. I commented to him, I didn't think changing tires was among his duties. He replied, 'It's not, but I didn't want you waiting for hours in this heat (around 90 degrees) for someone to come.” Less than 30 minutes after the tire blew, I was safely on my way.

I was fortunate in a variety of ways. Luckily, I wasn't going 65 miles per hour down the interstate when the tire blew, within a few minutes the officer arrived, and he quickly assessed the circumstances.

Rather than have me wait for service with my car congesting traffic for several hours (perhaps causing an accident), the solution was to change my tire and clear the situation. A big 'thank you” to this officer, you are my hero!

Diane Folkmann

Cedar Rapids