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| SUNRAYS
NOVEMBER 2013
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
Sun City’s Citizens on Patrol monitor the
community expertly and efficiently. While
on patrol, they observe everything from left-
open garage doors to suspicious-looking
persons on campus.
M
ost of you know that COPs pa-
trol, observe and report. We
slowly drive around, wave at
you and generally look out for our neigh-
bors. We drive and get to knowSun City’s
layout, listening to our favorite music or
spending some quality time with a friend
or spouse, all the while keeping an eye
out for our community. Most drivers do
two two-hour shifts a month, which are
usually routine, but every once in a while,
a shift is anything but routine.
tUrkEy traFFIc jam
On an early patrol one morning, a driver
stopped at a golf cart crossing for a flock
of 12 wild turkeys crossing the road one
at a time. He watched and waited while
the turkeys strolled safely across. As he
was about to start up, the lead turkey
turned around and started back across
the street, followed single-file by all 11
birds. The driver waited again. As soon
as all of the birds were on the other side,
back the lead bird came and, one at a time,
the whole flock followed. At this point, the
COPs driver decided he was not going to
be a pawn in their silly game and left. As
turkeys don’t have teeth, he couldn’t tell
if they were grinning or not.
mIssINg PErsONs
A driver received a call that a personwith
Down syndrome was lost. The driver im-
mediately drove to the area and began
searching. Eventually, themissing person
was found asleep in a neighbor’s porch
chair.
Another rescue took only five minutes.
A female visitor, who didn’t speak Eng-
lish, was missing. The driver went to the
neighborhood and saw a woman sitting
on the curb, frantically pushing cell phone
buttons. The COPs driver stopped just as
the person who had called him pulled up
in his car, and the situation was resolved.
UFOs IN sUN cIty?
Scene: 8:30 at night and dark. COPs car
phone rang. Driver answered. Caller said
there was a strange light in the green belt
behind her house. The driver went to in-
vestigate. The mystery light appeared to
be about six to eight feet off the ground and
about 50 feet back into the trees. It was too
dark to see anything other than the light,
and, as there was no apparent danger, the
driver suggested the homeowner call the
CA Office the next morning and report
it. She said she would, but wanted a wit-
ness so she wouldn’t be considered some
kind of a nut. She laughed and said if she
were abducted by aliens, the driver would
be able to report why she was missing in
the morning. The mystery of the light re-
mains. It was decided that this evidence
is not enough to challenge Marfa, Texas,
for the mystery lights title.
wOrrIEd rELatIVEs
The COPs car on patrol was contacted by
the Monitor’s Desk. A man called from
out of town to check on a new resident
who lived alone and couldn’t be reached.
The driver went to the address supplied
and found theman had just moved in, and
his cell phone wasn’t charged. The driver
had him contact the caller to assure him
all was well.
Inside
COPs
UFOs, a herd of
longhorns, and why
did the turkeys cross
the road?
By Edna Heard
