Why don’t we see the thousands of acts of kindness by officers every day?
by Robin Kinderman
As Joseph K. Loughlin says in his book Shots Fired, “Why don’t we see the thousands of acts of kindness by officers that occur every day [on social media]?”
Indeed, videos and stories of officers using deadly force or being “trigger happy” are far more common than those showing acts of kindness. Sure, we are told that officers are always doing “nice” things, but I don’t think any of us realizes just what kinds of things they’re doing. Just as their career choice requires them to put themselves in harmful situations we can’t even imagine, it also gives them the opportunity to do amazing things – and many of them go above and beyond our expectations.
Here are just a few examples from the past year:
• Suffolk County (New York) Police Officer Jon-Erik Negron seems to have a knack for deliveries: In the early morning hours of Thursday, August 9, he responded to a 911 call from a woman going into labor, and safely delivered his third baby.
• When Terrence & Natasha Jones’ car broke down in Crestview, Florida, Officer Don Howe stopped to help them. He helped diagnose the problem, drove Terrence into town to get the parts he needed, and then helped fix their car. Afterwards, he gave the new-to-town couple tips about the local area and schools.
• Officer James Wilcher and his friend Chip Roberts of the Tampa Police Department were enjoying their day off, fishing near the Gandy Bridge, when they spotted a man standing on the edge of the bridge. He jumped, but the officers quickly recovered him before he drowned.
• Clinton (Tenn.) police officer and school resource officer Mark Pack threw a birthday party for a young student with a heart condition, and made him an honorary officer for the day. The student wants to be a police officer when he grows up, and runs to hug Officer Pack every time he sees him.
• Officer Todd Bing of Detroit was in line at a gas station when he noticed the elderly woman in front of him was not only struggling to walk, but had prepaid only $3 for gas. He offered $20 more, and pumped her gas for her.
• Cindy Frederick from North Carolina has a daughter with autism who often becomes mute in public. To help her learn, Cindy takes pictures of social situations to show her daughter what to do. One evening while they were out to dinner, Cindy asked a police officer to come over and take a picture with her daughter so she could show her that police can help her. The unnamed officer not only obliged, but also paid for the family’s meal.
• When Tallahassee, Florida, Police Officer Tony Carlson noticed a man trying to shave outside a gas station, he approached him. The man told Officer Carlson that he was homeless, and he was trying to shave for a job at a local fast food restaurant, but he was having trouble because his razor was broken and he didn’t have a mirror. Officer Carlson fixed the razor and shaved his beard for him. The act of kindness was caught on film and shared on social media. Carlson later said during an interview that “This isn’t something spectacular. It happens all the time. It just so happens that this time someone caught it on film.”
• Cleveland, Ohio, Police Officer Mike Kelly was working a security shift at his local Walmart when he witnessed a family have their credit card declined. Without hesitation, he paid for their groceries.
These are just a sampling of the stories that get picked up by the news. Many, many others – not always identifying the people involved – circulate through social media. There have been several occasions of officers escorting the children of their fallen comrades to school, prom, and graduation; officers buying lemonade and helping in fundraisers; and cops pulling over people to give them ice cream, purchasing clothes for low-income kids, performing CPR on infants and animals, and doing many other acts of kindness.
Sometimes videos of these incidents — such as the recent lip sync challenge that took the nation by storm — receive criticism. People are quick to say things like, “Shouldn’t they be out on the streets protecting us instead of goofing off?” or, “Another stupid charade to make us think they’re not bad.”
Police officers do not perform these acts of kindness to get attention. They do them because they’re human. They do them because they know that they have the capacity to, that they have the power to change people’s lives.
So next time you see a video presenting an officer in a bad light, or hear anti-cop rhetoric, counter it with something positive you’ve seen or heard. Better yet – set up a meeting with your local officers and have a conversation about the good encounters they’ve had with people during their careers.