By Police1 Staff
Lending a helping hand is part of the job for officers of the law — but their daily good deeds rarely make headlines. With our new series, we aim to bring some much-deserved attention to the little things our officers do for our communities every day. Check out this week’s round-up of inspiring stories from around the country and send us your stories of cops being everyday heroes.
1. Boy running late to school gets ride from Colo. cop
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FOUNTAIN, Colo. — Officer Klinge’s kind act went viral after a passerby took a photo and posted it to Facebook, the Independent Journal reported.
Christina, the woman who posted the photo, was waiting for her daughter when she spied the officer helping the boy out of a cruiser and tying his shoe.
“I had to capture this moment, especially with all the negativity with police officers going around. How amazing is this to see?” Christina wrote in her post.
The boy had been running late to school and missed the bus when Klinge stopped to help him. He gave the boy a ride to school and sent him on his way.
The post has over 32,000 likes.
Klinge had recently been named Officer of the Year.
2. Texas officer comforts child while parents get arrested
While on an assault and robbery call today one of our’s and the Wichita Falls Police Department’s finest kept a child...
Posted by Official City of Wichita Falls, TX on Monday, October 12, 2015
WICHITA FALLS, Texas — While officers responded to reports of an assault and robbery, one officer took special care of the suspects’ child, NewsTalk 1290 reported.
The department took to Facebook to highlight the actions of one of their officers. The unnamed officer entertained and comforted the child while the child’s parents were getting arrested.
Commenters have praised the officer for his actions.
“Baby is smiling and happy. Way to go everyone! That could’ve been much more traumatic for that little boy,” Melissa Lawson wrote.
The parents were arrested and booked as part of a previous investigation, according to the Facebook post.
The department entitled the set of photos “Another reason to back the blue” and wrote that it was a job “well done” by the officer.
3. ND sheriff’s office replaces girl’s stolen bike
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WILLISTON, N.D. — Erica Stagnolia saved her allowance all summer to get a bright blue mountain bike, Williston-Herald reported.
She was riding the bike around her house on Oct. 8 and parked it in her garage before heading upstairs for a drink. When Erica returned, she witnessed a woman load her bike into the back of a pickup truck and drive off.
“She was totally heartbroken,” Erica’s mother, Jennifer Stagnolia, said.
The responding officers and deputy couldn’t find the bike thief and the story spread around the sheriff’s office.
By a group consensus, the office used money from an account reserved for sponsoring community events, met Erica and her mom at Walmart, and bought her new bike.
Erica was surprised and all smiles, Jennifer said. The gesture was important for the family — currently adjusting after a recent move to the area.
“It wasn’t necessarily about the bike, it was also because someone did something nice for her,” Stagnolia said to the publication. “It made her day and I feel very blessed to be here.”
4. SF officer creates program to connect youth back to their roots
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SAN FRANCISCO — Officer Jason Johnson likes to help kids, NBC Bay Area reported.
Since the day he was hired, Johnson has been a fixture at the boys and girls club in Bayview — an area that’s known for its high crime. Beyond working in his community policing position, Johnson spends time with the children he encounters at their schools and arranges after school activities to keep them out of trouble.
“A lot of kids I work with, they’re on the fence,” Johnson said to NBC. “They can turn bad, they can turn good. And they just need the direction.”
But it doesn’t just end with being actively involved the lives of these youths - he also created a program to educate them of their heritage. Operation Genesis takes groups of youths for a week-long vacation to Ghana for lessons in history and heritage. The trips can be emotional and raw, Johnson told NBC Bay Area.
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One student who had dropped out of school prior to leaving on the trip immediately re-enrolled upon her return. Community members have praised him for his work the past two years in aiding the children to be successful.
“I know I’m just getting started now, but when they become successful, you know, it’s very fulfilling,” Johnson told the news site.
5. Md. officers jump into river to save suicidal man
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SALISBURY, Md. — Officers jumped in after a man who tried to drown himself in the Wicomico River Wednesday morning, Delmarvanow reported.
The incident occurred when police responded to the 28-year-old victim’s call to 911. He told the dispatcher he was going to kill himself by jumping off the bridge.
When police arrived, the man dove into the cold water.
Salisbury Police Cpl. David Underwood, Pfc. Darryl Myers and Chief Barbara Duncan jumped in to rescue him.
“We all followed suit,” Underwood told the publication. “He wanted help, I believe.”
The officers were able to bring the man to safety and sent him to a hospital for examination.
“He did say ‘thank you,’” Duncan told the publication.
Duncan told the news site this incident isn’t a surprise, as officers regularly train for and show dedication in crisis situations.
“They do this type of work every single day,” she said in her interview.