By Cindy Yamanaka
The Orange County Register
WESTMINSTER, Calif. — When Tayden Nguyen, 3, of Westminster, was down after his first week at preschool, his uncle Joe Ranalla of Huntington Beach took action and called the Westminster Police Department.
Not to report a crime, but to help pick up his nephew’s mood. Tayden really loves the police, Ranalla confessed.
The response was swift. Westminster Police Sgt. Cliff Williams dispatched Officer Mike Gradilla, 26, on his first field visit of this kind.
“I had no idea they did that,” Ranalla says. “Tayden watches police on YouTube and gets excited whenever he hears a siren. He wants to know if it’s a fire, ambulance or police siren.”
Gradilla is passionate about establishing positive relationships with the community and doesn’t look for recognition, according to Westminster Police spokesman Sgt. Eddie Esqueda.
“Mike is a giver,” says Esqueda. “He’d give you the shirt off his back and quietly helps the homeless. This is not a publicity stunt. Mike’s the real deal.”
Gradilla was greeted with open arms, but what left him “grinning from ear to ear” was Tayden’s police uniform.
“I was there to brighten his day, but he brightened my day,” Gradilla explained. The young officer gave Tayden a tour of the police car and posted some pictures of them on the department’s website. By Monday, the pair had 14,647 shares and 60,000 likes.
Gradilla, who mentors a high school football and track team and is a basketball coach at the Boys and Girls Club, hopes he can be a mentor to Tayden, too.
“We can always talk about the day we went viral,” Gradilla laughs.
Copyright 2016 The Orange County Register