Letter to the Editor: Kudos to Cowell

ACCIDENT: Kudos to Sgt. Willie Cowell

I would like to offer a public thank you to Sgt. Willie Cowell of the Bonners Ferry Police Department for helping me out after a “fender bender” accident I had last week. This was a simple accident at the site of the highway construction downtown, and though very little damage was done and no one was hurt, it could easily have turned into a violent road rage type of incident.

Sgt. Cowell showed amazing skill in diffusing the situation. It was clear that both training and personality qualities enabled him to artfully diffuse the situation and reach a safe ending to the encounter between myself and the other party involved.

In today’s world we often are made aware that when officers encounter potentially violent situations, training and personality qualities make all the difference in how those situations are dealt with. The outcomes can be horrendous for all concerned and the police bear the responsibility for avoiding that. Although race was not a factor in my situation, I was made acutely aware of how the action of police officers is critical in any situation where there is conflict, but especially conflicts involving people of different races. I have no doubt that officers like Willie Cowell are angels in our midst.

Barbara Castellan

Westside Road resident