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Show Monday. March 29 1 982 THE HERALD. Provo. Utah-Pa- ge 15 Utah People y 77 ... c5P Mi? Utah Highway Patrolman Langford arrives at canyon accident scene as bystander runs to tell him of gasoline leak. i I ,; ' f - His , O , ; - hobbies are competitive pistol shooting and restoring old cars. - 1 - Utah Highway Patrolman Les D. " Langford, father of three, former U.S. Marine Just Another Day... o 'n most Patrolman Les D. davs. Utah Highway But there are days he a likes highway cop. being Langford wishes he was doing almost anything else. "I have been to 22 fatal accidents," the Pleasant Grove resident says, "And the first one I went on killed six." The days he has to drive up to the door of a family residence to tell them a loved one is dead is the days he wishes he was something other than a cop. He claims it is the hardest thing he has to do, and saye he often sits in the patrol car for a few minutes before he walks to the door. He is active in church, and visits a few church families of telling regularly each month. Once, he had the painful task one ot these families their son was dead. "I had to go tell the family I was home teaching, their son, who lived in Salt Lake City had been coming to visit them in Utah County when he was killed in a traffic accident. I had been at the scene of the accident and recognized whoit was." in the Thursday last week was pretty much just another day the for photographer and life of Patrolman Langford, except took along. reporter he was shaved while his Shortly after 6 a.m. he showered and wife Barbara fixed breakfast. The Pleasant Grove resident says he always eats a good breakfast because he can't be be sure he'll have time for lunch. V O A 6:30 a.m. his wife about what she has to Langford eats while he talks to feeds the Barbara baby. do for the day. "I used to worry whenever Les left the house, but now I'm convinced he's very careful, and I don't worry anymore," she says. There have been times Langford has used a gun. Of course he used one in Vietnam as a young marine, and he has used one as a Utah Highway Patrolman. There was the time in northern Utah when someone fired a suto pistol across the windshiled of his car. The gunman wasn't shooting at him, but rather at road signs. But he was careless and almost hit Langford. "I turned around and finally stoppped the car," Langford said. I walked up slowly with my pistol drawn and said 'put both where I can see them', But the guy your hands out the window window and I had to decide." the out quickly stuck the gun book he probably should have to the Langford said according As it turned out the pair in to wait. him told but shot something the car were college students just shooting road signs and the he probably forgot he had a gun guy with the gun was so afraid he fired his gun at fleeing times also were There in his hand. he hasn't shot anyone. a patrolman as highway but vehciles, 7 Story v' ' " j r' Patrick Christian Photography Uleb Anderson Of The Daily Herald a.m. The patrolman scrapped the froet off his patrol car parked Is driving out of his with the front facing the street and to the house of another patrolman who drives He driveway. ofworked the night shift and takes a radar unit out of the other one radar gun. . ficer's trunk. The two share checks the calibration of the gun, Using tuning forks Langford he will patrol Interstate 15 and finds it accurate. He radios that " , . to the Point of the Mountain. en peg w io. . , voniinyta xu- - 4 V : radios for help. Canyon's blocked, gasoline spilling, on injuryt Patrolman Langford ' reVr- - 1 |