By Darrell Laurant

Published: April 20, 2008

A fellow named Gary Hall called me last week with an interesting question.

“I have a business on Alleghany Avenue,” he said, “and I was out in front of my store not long ago when I saw someone drive by and toss out a beer bottle. It skidded right up onto my property.”

Hall made a mental note of the license plate and the general appearance of the vehicle and called the police.

“I told them what had happened, and they said, ‘We can’t do anything.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ and I was told that a ticket can only be issued if a police officer sees the person littering.

“‘But isn’t littering against the law?’ I said, and the person told me, ‘Oh, yes, it’s a $100 fine.’”

So Hall tried the Virginia State Police, he related, with the same result.

“Somewhere along the line, it was suggested that I contact VDOT,” he said, “because they’re the ones who have to pick up the trash.”

Even Gary Hall will be the first to admit that this is not something of front-page importance. Still, the incident left him a little puzzled.

After all, if someone holds up your convenience store and you have a description of the robber, no one will tell you that a police officer had to witness the robbery. Indeed, the very time someone would be least likely to break the law would be if a police officer or deputy was in the vicinity.

Having said all that, though, I certainly realize that there are far more crimes — when you count all the myriad minor infractions — than there are police officers to go around. Cops have enough to do, I’m sure, without having to deal with littering and loitering and loud stereos and the like.

Still, I remember the point Rudy Guiliani made a few years ago in New York City. If you let the little stuff slide, it spawns a permissive culture that leads to the big stuff.

Perhaps situations like the one that Gary Hall faced could be dealt with in an administrative sort of way. If someone has the license number of a person who littered or committed some minor traffic infraction, how about sending a form letter to that person on police stationary, something to the effect of: “Dear Mr. (Ms.) (blank), It has come to our attention that you have been spotted committing (blank) infraction. If this is in error, please disregard this notice. Otherwise, be advised that this activity is punishable by a (blank) fine and or (blank) time in jail.”

Maybe that would be enough to make some people think. The city could hire a clerk to send the letters.

- And here’s another thought. Have you ever been frustrated trying to get in touch with your doctor? Call during the day, and he or she is with patients. Call at night, and the doctor is out, with no home number.

Which makes me wonder: Why don’t more doctors join the 21st century and use e-mail? That way, they could check their messages at a convenient time of the day and return them at their leisure. If someone needed a refill on a medication, for instance, that would be a perfect way of making contact.

It seems so obvious, and yet none of the doctors and dentists with whom I’ve dealt seem inclined to take advantage of the same modern technology they eagerly pursue in other areas of their work.