PORT ANGELES — A word to those who would illegally park in a handicap spot or throw a midnight kegger in a public park — you are being watched.
Not necessarily by police officers, but the next best thing.
Port Angeles Police Department volunteers are a group of 15 men and women who donate their time to ensure that some of the small things that hold a civilization together are not overlooked.
Consider Gary Marler, a retired bread truck driver, who has donated 2,000 hours since 1998.
Or Charles Devoney, who has given 3,000 hours since 1998.
Or Jim and Marilyn Walsh, a husband-wife duo who have put in about 1,200 hours each since 2003.
Closet “Dirty Harrys” they are not, Marler said on a recent Friday afternoon, as he and fellow volunteers Jim and Marilyn cruised through town in the volunteer police car, making sure everything’s OK.
“We’re not police officers, we’re just volunteers, and that’s as far as it goes,” Marler said.