Editor,
I was at an establishment in Los Alamos recently when the Los Alamos Police Department handled a potentially tense situation with grace. A patron who had imbibed too much got unruly, and then refused to comply with the first plainclothes officer who engaged him. That officer stayed cool, didn’t lose his temper, kept his body relaxed, never raised his voice. Backup arrived and did the same.

De-escalating is hard and frustrating. It takes time. This guy was not compliant, but the officers got him to leave without further disruption. That’s not an easy job. Thanks to LAPD for keeping the peace.

Stephanie Nakhleh