WATERFORD, Conn. -- A 9-year-old Waterford boy concerned about speeding cars and trucks on his street wrote a letter to police asking for help.
And on Tuesday, Isaiah McLoughlin got results when Officer Nicole VanOverloop visited his house.
"Every morning we wait for the bus and the passing cars, for the most part, are speeding," said Millie Mell, Isaiah's grandmother. The speeding cars anger Isaiah and each morning he complains about them, she said. The speeding cars also make it tough for Isaiah to cross the street when he rides his bike, Mell said.
So his grandmother told Isaiah, "Maybe you should write a letter to the police department."
And he did.
"Dear Waterford police officers," the letter opens. "Every morning when I wait for my bus, cars and trucks are speeding. It makes me feel unsafe. Please call my grandmother ... so we can talk about the situation."
The letter was signed, "Your friend Isaiah McLoughlin."
Isaiah's grandmother said he was delighted that police took his letter seriously and even came to the house to talk to him about the speeding cars.
Isaiah said it was cool that the police responded to his letter. When asked if he thought the police would fix the speeding on his street, he said "Yeah, I do!"
Isaiah knew VanOverloop because she is the town's youth officer and has been to his school.
"He was very pleased that they answered his letter, especially in person, and that they took him seriously," Mell said.
"It's a very good life lesson," she added. "If you have a problem with something, there's almost always some out there who can help you figure out a solution to it. You have to be polite, then listen."
When VanOverloop visited Isaiah, she told him that police would enforce the speed limit on his street, Fog Plain Road, beginning Wednesday.
Waterford police were so delighted with Isaiah's letter they shared it and what they're doing in response to his concerns on their Facebook page.
Copyright 2014 - The Hartford Courant
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
