We drove down to Boston last week and promptly got lost.

Yes, we missed a turn and got caught in a swirl of lunch hour walkers and parkers enjoying the fine fall day on the Boston Common. It started so well; it really did. The night before, we went on Google and printed out directions to a hospital famed for its expertise and care.

We got up early, took time to have homemade coffee, and headed out with plenty of time to arrive on time for our early afternoon appointment. Cruising down I-95 to U.S. Route 1 and into Boston was simple. Then, I missed a turn. So, we visited Beacon Hill, Chinatown, toured the Common, and sort of flailed around. As my bride got a bit anxious, I did something that violated the man code. I stopped and asked for directions.

A uniformed police officer monitoring traffic for a utility crew was standing around on the sidewalk talking to a civilian. I spotted him, pulled over, got out of the car, and danced across the street.

"Officer. My wife has a hospital appointment, and I am lost. Could you give me directions?"

The cop smiled, quipped that his pal, an older man who turned out to be an off-duty officer, was lost all the time. They both laughed and gave me directions that sounded like a litany of right turns, stop lights and left turns.

As I looked a bit confused, the cop in civilian clothes, Officer Garvin F. McHale, asked me if the black SUV parked across the street was my car. It was. "Hell, I have some time. I am parked right in front of you. Why don't I just take you. Follow me," said McHale. And he did just what he promised. We snaked through traffic for about 10 minutes until he stopped at the hospital's main entrance.

Then he jumped out of his car, walked up to my window, and handed me a Boston Police Department shoulder patch and his business card. We thanked him – a lot.

He pointed to my Marine Corps logo cap, thanked me for my service, wished us well with the hospital visit, and drove off.

In my more than 50 years in the news business, I have known many cops, good and bad. Years ago, I was on the staff of the Indianapolis Star when we won a series of national awards for exposing police corruption. We couldn't have done that series without the cooperation of nearly 50 good cops who were fed up with the status quo.

I loved the late night police beat, where I rode around the city with cops and saw them carry out their duties. One of my favorites was a deputy sheriff who was on his way to work when the dispatcher assigned some cars to go to a reported bank robbery. This deputy was just a block away from the bank, and drove right there.

The deputy said that when he walked into the bank, the robber turned, spotted the deputy, and fired a shot. The deputy, a lot better shot, fired. The bank robber fell to the ground. Then the deputy holstered his gun, dropped to his knees, and started first aid keeping the robber alive until the paramedics rolled up and took him to the hospital. He survived and later pleaded guilty.

The bank cameras caught the deputy's actions, and civic groups honored him for his efforts.

In recent months, our TV sets have been flooded with news stories chronicling police misconduct. Some of it was pretty ugly. Some triggered national protests. Lots of good cops are embarrassed when their brothers in blue abuse their authority.

Last June, in the wake of the George Floyd/ Minneapolis incident, 300 or so Boothbay area residents joined with Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett and Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Bob Hasch to show their support for the victims of police misconduct. The lawmen joined the crowd in kneeling for 8-plus minutes, the same length of time a policeman kneeled on Floyd's neck.

Brackett said he was angered by the fact that it's taken a tragedy like this to raise the national debate in our country over racism and biased policing. Hasch agreed and told the crowd, racism is everywhere. Over the years, he said he has found ways (other than force) to help folks.

Are there bad cops out there? You bet. But let's not forget there are lots of good ones, too, cops like Boston Officer McHale, and our own lawmen, Todd Brackett and Bob Hasch. They are cops who signed on to help others. Sometimes, we even find cops like Garvin F. McHale, who go out of their way to help strangers.

They deserve our thanks.