I must admit, my favorite section of The Leader used to be the police and sheriff’s logs. But they seem darker since the Leader changed hands: assaults, thefts, drug-related offenses, DUIs, etc.

Now, I realize that this new sampling is probably far more representative of the calls our law enforcement is called upon to respond to.

I also acknowledge that this change at The Leader has made me more appreciative of the realities our small-town law enforcement professionals face every day.

But I miss reading reports of loose emu running down Center Road. I miss the hallucinating drug users calling the police to report suspicious beings in the woods. I miss the reports of possible narcotics that turned out to be used kitty litter or the flavoring for Top Ramen noodle soup.

I miss the report by a co-op shopper worried about the welfare of a chicken trapped in a car on a sunny day.

And I miss reading reports like the good Samaritan who, upon encountering a Kah Tai trailhead post engulfed in flames, sprang into action by emptying two beers on the blaze. Seeing that the fire wasn’t quite out, the man then urinated on the post to finish extinguishing the blaze.

Officers praised the man as a hero of sorts, and he joked that the city should buy him two beers as compensation.

For years, I smiled at (but didn’t touch) that post when I walked by it, because it reminded me of Port Townsend’s iconic bumper sticker.

Yes, there’s a lot of wrong with world, but there’s a lot of good (and humor) in it, too, and the police log can be a place to remind us of that.

At the very least, I think we could all use a little more levity in our lives.

CHRIS AXLING

Port Townsend