For a large part of my early years I lived on the North Side of Pittsburgh. The North Side is the traditional "bad" part of town.
I was born in the late 1960s, and the race riots of that time period had a huge impact on our family and the atmosphere I grew up in. The police were not exactly considered to be Officer Friendly.
One of my earliest memories is standing on my front porch, cheering and jumping up and down with my older brothers and some other neighbors, as a tow truck pulled a police car. This happened more than once, and it was a reason for great joy and celebration.
That’s why I got a kick out of this police-authorized tow truck having a bit of car trouble the other day.