This thread is for sharing stories of the many police officers around the country that do good things every day as they go about their jobs. It’s not meant as a place for negative stories or bashing of the police. Please share good deeds that police officers accomplish and recognize the positive contributions that many of them make on a daily basis.
I’ll start off with this story about two police heros. The female officer especially deserves recognition for going into a frozen pond to rescue a little girl. Thank God she was there and willing to step up.
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My SisIL’s bro is retired officer. He regularly runs a clinic to help people properly install child safety seats and baby car seats. He’s been doing this in parking lot of hospital for years as a volunteer.
My nephew is a police officer. We are very proud of the community service he and his fellow officers do in addition to their jobs. They are always doing something extra for their community.
Locally a small child’s life was likely saved by police emergency care last month when the child was hit by ‘unknown projectile’ when there was shooting into the house. The officer’s experience as a flight paramedic enabled him an the other officer to start medical care before help arrived.
Police do great things everyday and they don’t get the credit and respect they deserve.
When I was 16 we were dragging and going fast. We worked on our own cars back then putting on headers and such. So anyway this one cop pulls us over. He immediately said “pop the hood” we did but confused. He talked to us about the engine and how cool the car was. He was a car nut but talked to us just like normal people. He said “great job with the car but you know you can’t go this fast here. Slow down or next time I have to give you a ticket”. And we did. I doubt that would happen today.
I posted some in the “don’t talk to cops” thread about community policing efforts specifically targeted so children learn to trust the police. I love those programs - schools field trips to police stations, “shop with a cop”, “bike with a cop”, school bus safety programs, police helping out in the schools, etc… So many great programs to try to create bridges.
I will also say here that the police officers I worked with when I called for a well check for my father were amazing (the police found him dead in his bed, many states away, during the beginning of Covid). I don’t know what special training they get but everyone was incredibly kind and compassionate. It was such a shock that they even help put me in touch with a funeral home and they followed up with me a week later to see if I was OK. The funeral home director was beyond wonderful and I wouldn’t have known about them without the police officer recommendation.
My brother is a retired sheriff and my dad was also involved in the law system. I have high respect for law enforcement and I think they are under appreciated.
That said, there are definitely issues within law enforcement that need to be addressed and remedied.
My favorite story is when two under cover officers came to my house at about 2 am to get search warrants signed. They were scary looking, unshaven, dirty, etc… These are the people who are busting drug dealers and putting themselves in danger… Made a real impression on 16 year old me about not judging a book by its cover.
My wife and I watch On Patrol Live every week(or DVR it) on the REELZ channel. They follow multiple departments from across the country in real time from 9pm to midnight every Friday and Saturday night. It provides a window into the profession. Sometimes it’s stressful. Sometimes it’s boring. Sometimes the calls are for things that aren’t law enforcement related.
I was watching the show when they aired the clip below.
In a later episode they showed Deputy Fitzsimmons checking in on the man he saved, Daniel Kenny. Additionally, both were celebrated at an award ceremony a couple of weeks after the incident.
A post above reminds me of the time there was an unmarked car across the street from us. My neighbor walked his dog and told me to ask them why they were staking out our house. I reluctantly did and they promised me they weren’t watching us but something else. Early in the morning, they busted a drug house 1/2 a block away.
LEO son worked 7pm yesterday to 7am today, and it snowed all night. He said it was completely miserable. He spent all night out in the weather working on accidents, and helping people with disabled vehicles. No glamour. No action. No arrests. Just helping people in need. I listened to the scanner for his area and all I heard about were cars off the road, in the woods, in the median, flipped, etc.
Our local officers will do home checks when people are out of town. We left town in October for the winter and got a call two days later. The officer said we left our back door unlocked . We had him enter our house, take a quick look around, find an extra set of keys, lock the house, and take the keys to the station where we will pick them up up when we return. We don’t mind paying higher taxes for service like this.
There are definitely shifts like that, many more than people realize. The job is certainly not like dramatized TV where officers are routinely involved in fist fights and shootings and the only thing they do off duty is go to bars with other officers. I know this is not news to you GK but it might be to some.
. We had him enter our house, take a quick look around, find an extra set of keys, lock the house, and take the keys to the station where we will pick them up up when we return. We don’t mind paying higher taxes for service like this.