By Police1 Staff
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan officer was captured comforting a small child and the photo quickly went viral on Facebook, according to police.
Officer James Hurst found a 16-month-old child outside with no adult supervision on May 9 and took him to a hospital for an exam. While in the doctor’s care, the child became distraught. Hurst, still by his side, comforted the child while the medical staff examined him for two hours.
“I just knew this child needed somebody to be there for him,” Hurst said. “It was just human instinct; humanity. The hospital staff was taking great care of him [but] he was sobbing and crying. I picked him up and within minutes he was asleep on my chest.”
Hurst said he didn’t expect the photo to go viral because it’s what he does every day — community-oriented policing.
“This job is so much more than catching bad guys,” he said. “We do what we need to do for the citizens. All the officers I work with … would do the exact same thing.”