I’m a 17-year veteran of the law enforcement division of the Mississippi Department of Transportation, and there’s something that disturbs me that I’d like to educate the general public about.

People have a bad habit of wanting to tell everyone else where the law enforcement officers on the highway are trying to work.

During a typical day at work, I hear truck drivers, on average, every 10 minutes warning others on the radio of where I am working. Any time we attempt to set up a safety checkpoint, every truck driver from one end of the state to the other knows where we are.

This is no exaggeration. I’m guessing they feel that they’re looking out for each other, when in fact, they’re potentially doing great harm.

Times aren’t what they used to be. Large shipments of drugs are constantly trafficked across and into our state in the very vehicles with drivers who are being told where we are.

The Oklahoma City bombing was carried out with a truck the size of an average U-Haul truck. Imagine what a terrorist could do with an entire 18-wheeler.

Would you rather your friend get a ticket for an expired tag or give some terrorist directions on how to get around so he can deliver his payload to the nuclear plant?

How about those 5,000 pounds of cocaine? You want to help that guy make his delivery so it can hit the streets and potentially wind up in the hands of your kids?

You may want to reconsider next time before you pick up the mike of that CB or flash those headlights.

Daryl Walker

Natchez resident