Hurrah for Fritz Robinson (letter, Feb. 22) and DeCinzo (cartoon, Feb. 22) for bringing to our attention the Sunnyvale Public Safety officers being visible and available to the public at the local Starbucks. Personally, I'm glad they are not all sequestered in the police and fire stations but are out and about where the citizens are.

All in the public safety department, especially the resource officers, have been quick and actively responsive to any and all requests that I or our neighborhood association has had.

They are available for crime prevention talks and surveys, neighborhood watch talks, National Night Out, SNAP (Sunnyvale Neighborhoods Actively Prepare) training, to investigate possible suspicious activity and have kept our neighborhood group updated about safety, security and crime prevention.

I don't mind that they're sitting at Starbucks because I know they'll respond immediately, whether they're on break or not, if they get a call. I'm sure if you check emergency response times, you'll find they're excellent. (After all, there's a Starbucks on every corner.) You should also remember that Sunnyvale is noted for being one of the seven safest cities of its size in the nation.

I certainly don't begrudge our public safety officers the chance to get together in a public venue for breaks, meetings, public service or back-up situations.

Seeing them at Starbucks reminds me of the old "neighborhood beat cops" who were always out where the people were in their neighborhood. Anyway, they'll be back in their cars and out on the streets soon enough.

IrisAnn Nelson

Sunnyvale

Correction

The Feb. 22 cover story "Drawing Rooms" should have stated that communications officer John Pilger was comparing Sunnyvale to Florida's resorts with golf courses when he said, "We may not have the golf courses, but we've got Sunnyvale, and it's a very central setting in Silicon Valley." Sunnyvale does have two golf courses, which are run by the parks and recreation department.