The late Douglas J. Harvey Jr., Washtenaw County’s sheriff from 1964 to 1972,, debuted with an inauspicious moment as a rookie cop in the Ypsilanti Police Department.
Doug was a US Navy veteran, and one of his many activities after his career in law enforcement ended was campaigning to have a US flag flying at Veterans Park. At the ceremony when it was first raised on August 10, 2019, he recalled that day:
“It was my first day solo, patrolling in an Ypsilanti squad car when I spotted an elderly driver who ignored a ‘Stop’ sign. I turned on my siren and flashing lights and pulled her over to the curb.
“Despite her excuse of not seeing the Stop sign, I felt I should return to my patrol car and issue her a ticket. However, I quickly discovered that I had left my ticket book at the police station! How embarrassing!”
“So, my intended traffic ticket was replaced with a verbal warning, “Mam, I’ve decided to not ticket you but issue you a friendly reminder to always look for Stop signs when you’re driving, especially in a neighborhood.”
She thanked me graciously and pulled out from the curb to the street. Meanwhile, I high-tailed it back to the police station and vowed to never patrol without my ticket book again! For the record, I did have my police gun.”