As we get ready to say goodbye to summer, it will either make you smile or curse your luck to find out that the Truckee (Calif.) Police Department has started a standup paddleboarding (SUP) patrol. As part of this Northern California department's Adventure Recreation and Community Team, members of the SUP patrol are tasked with paddling around Donner Lake standing on over-sized surfboards and "improving community interaction."

Also about recreation but much more serious is another case of the media immediately siding against law enforcement and swaying the viewing public. The blogger who goes by the nom de plume Jack Dunphy has posted about a recent incident in Venice, Calif., in a piece he calls "Skateboarding into Victimhood Superstardom."

On a more inspirational note, a 17-year-old Police Explorer in Ohio  has begun her own blog to share her experiences as she discovers whether she wants to pursue law enforcement as a career. Her recent blog post on one person's misguided attempt to educate citizens about the Second Amendment by constantly carrying around his AR-15 is thoughtful and worth a read.

She was encouraged to write her own blog by cop blogger Officer Smith,  whose blog she admired. One of his recent posts recounts how a simple parking ticket turned into a much more expensive traffic stop. If you've ever had to deal with a less than polite motorist it will surely elicit a chuckle.

But it also helps to remember that some people give police officers the benefit of the doubt, and some even look up to them as heroes. One veteran midnight shift patrol officer reminds himself of this with a keepsake from a little boy. He shared his story in the post "The One That Sticks With Me."

When you have to deal with offenders and just plain jerks so much of the time, I'm sure it helps to hold onto the memory of someone who reminds you why you do what you do.

Related:

Police Links: Taking Care of Your Own

Police Links: The Most Dangerous Job