BOISE, Idaho – Like most people on vacation, Tana Baulmer got a little behind schedule while attending a wedding in Idaho Falls.
She wanted to get to Yellowstone as fast as she could so her grandkids could see Old Faithful.
“And I was booking, and I got pulled over. He was really nice, and I was going way too fast,” said Baulmer.
Trooper Mike Nielson clocked Baulmer going almost 20 miles per hour over the speed limit.
Even going that fast, she was blown away by how respectful Trooper Nielson was to her and her grandchildren.
“He was giving the kids stickers and little sheriff’s badges. He was just really nice to them, and I thought that it was kind of nice just because then the 4-year-old wasn’t scared,” she said.
Nielson says he always has some stickers on hand and says he treats people he interacts with on the job the way he would want his family to be treated.
“Usually just talk to the kids. Kids are always really inquisitive when the guy with the big hat walks up to their car on the side of the highway, so sometimes they are a little nervous,” he said.
Before letting Baulmer and her family get back on the road, Trooper Nielson gave Baulmer her own sticker, a $150 ticket.
She says she didn’t mind the fine and was even able to laugh about it later with her grandchildren.
“So the kids and I kind of had a joke, ‘Grandma got her sticker and we got ours, but ours were a lot better,” she said.
As a restaurant owner, Baulmer said she knows that her servers don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
She decided to write a letter to the Idaho State Police to let them know what a good job Trooper Nielson did.
She wrote the letter while she was writing the check for her ticket.
According to KBOI2, it read, “Dear Idaho State Police, Recently I was on vacation with my grandchildren and was pulled over for speeding. Officer Mike Nielson made it a good experience for my grandchildren by talking with them calmly and giving them stickers. He didn’t leave me out and I got my very own Sticker Shock :) Thanks for a great attitude.”
