The community has been divided on the police department’s handling of burglary fugitive Colton Harris-Moore.

While we’ve received letters praising Sheriff Bill Cumming’s vigilance and hard work, we’re dismayed by some readers’ comments who feel the police aren’t doing enough.

As one reader wrote in our March 10 edition, “Mr. Cumming, please step up your search for this potentially dangerous young man. I cannot help but be a little miffed when I see one of your sheriffs sitting behind a bush waiting for someone’s grandmother to drive by maybe speeding 5 or 10 miles an hour over the speed limit, to give her a ticket, when they could be searching for Colton Harris-Moore.”

We take offense at that comment.

First of all, a deputy “hiding behind bushes” could be hoping to catch someone driving under the influence.

Secondly, we’ve talked to Sheriff Cumming on a weekly basis, and we can assure the public that he is doing everything possible to apprehend the suspect.

We’ve seen, first-hand, the fatigue our deputies are experiencing from doing “Colton duty” as well as their usual emergency calls, like DUIs, domestic violence, and dog attacks on livestock.

We spoke to Sergeant Steve Vierthaler during the stake-out on the west side of Orcas on March 18. He and his deputies, along with personnel from Whatcom County, Snohomish County, the Marysville Police Department, FBI personnel, and air support from the U.S. Customs, spent all night and day searching for Harris-Moore.

“We’re all working our butts off (with this case),” he said. “I’ve had no life. Plus we’re handling all the calls we usually do. All the guys are beating themselves up 24/7 with little personal time. Bill has been more than 100 percent committed to catching this kid. No one in this community should ever doubt that.”

Vierthaler said it’s been incredibly hurtful to hear community members doubt the department’s commitment to catching the elusive teen burglar.

“(The comments) have actually made me consider moving off the island,” Vierthaler said.

Harris-Moore has already damaged the serenity of this county. Don’t give him the pleasure of eroding our community even further. Let’s direct our anger at him, not the public servants who work hard to protect us.