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. In this series, we aim to bring some much-deserved attention to the things our officers do for our communities every day. Check out this week’s round-up of inspiring stories from around the country.
1. Mo. trooper pulls woman from fiery car after collision
BELTON, Mo. — Missouri Highway Patrol Trooper Jim Thuss is being praised for his courageous quick-thinking when he responded to the scene of a fiery collision, The Kansas City Star reported.
Thuss is being called a hero for his rescue of 60-year-old driver Becky Crawford from her Honda Civic right before it burst into flames.
Dash cam video captured the incident. A speeding driver ran a stoplight and struck Crawford.
“It was a pretty spectacular impact,” Thuss said. “There was an instant fireball towards the back of the vehicle and a big plume of smoke after that. There was the aftermath of the crash of some vehicle parts in the air with the smoke.”
When Thuss approached the vehicle, he noticed fire along the driver’s side of the vehicle. He climbed inside and pulled Crawford out. An off-duty Johnson County deputy assisted the trooper in the save.
Ron Crawford thanked Thuss for saving his wife’s life.
“I thanked him because he risked his life to save the life of my wife,” he said to the news site. “There’s no question in my mind that if he had not taken that action, she would not be with us today. He had only seconds to rescue her and he did. He’s a genuine hero.”
Crawford suffered major injuries but was expected to be released from a hospital this week and transferred to a rehabilitation facility.
2. NY police save rapper DMX after opiate overdose
YONKERS, N.Y. — Police and paramedics saved rapstar DMX after he was found lifeless outside a hotel, LOHUD reported.
Police rushed to the scene after receiving a call about an unresponsive man in the hotel’s parking lot, Detective Lt. Patrick McCormack told the news site. DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was on the ground next to a parked car in a “lifeless condition” with no pulse.
Officers from the emergency services unit performed CPR and administered air through a valve mask. Simmons regained breath after a minute.
Empress Ambulance personnel gave Simmons Narcan, which is used to reverse the effects of an opiate overdose.
“The police did a wonderful job,” the rapper’s attorney, Murray Richman, said.
3. NJ officers get crafty after medical emergency
BURLINGTON CITY, N.J. — Two officers used their craft skills after a medical emergency, NJ.com reported.
Police were called to an arts and crafts shop for a medical emergency Feb. 7, Lt. John Fine told the publication. After the person was tended to and determined to be in good health, officers hung out for a while and gave sewing quilts a shot.
“See, my grandmom taught me how to do this when I was 12,” Ptl. William Lancenese said in a video taken at the scene. “I was a professional quilter and then I became a cop.”
Fine told the news site he encourages community outreach and engagement similar to what the two officers in the video were doing.
“Our officers take the initiative to do things outside of the box,” Fine said.
4. Ala. officer buys new shoes for teen
HUEYTOWN, Ala. — A Hueytown officer is being applauded for a kind act at a grocery store, ABC 3340 reported.
Cpl. Sebastian Goldman gave a 19-year-old store employee a pair of new shoes after he noticed the teen’s footwear was being held together by duct tape.
Goldman was in the store to buy food for jail inmates. When he was loading the bags into his car, he noticed the teen and asked him about his shoes. The teenager told the officer he planned to get new shoes once he got paid.
Goldman asked the teen what size he wore, then promptly went to buy him another pair.
The teen was happy with his new kicks and asked the officer what he owed him.
“Just pay it forward,” Goldman told him.
5. Va. deputies help rescue stranded lab on icy pond
ORANGE, Va. — Orange County Sheriff’s deputies helped rescue a stranded lab in a frozen pond.
The deputies were called on Feb. 2 about a lab trapped in an ice-covered pond, according to a Facebook post. The 12-year-old lab named Tucker was stranded almost 50 feet from shore with icy water up to his chest.
“The lab was barking in desperation,” the sheriff’s office said.
Two firefighters arrived to assist and used a ladder to reach the lab. Firefighter Aaron Lovell crawled on the ice in an ice rescue suit to help retrieve the lab. As he neared the animal, the ice cracked and Lovell fell through.
The water was shallow so Lovell was able to grab the dog while Deputies Broyles and Cutone pulled them both to safety.
The lab was taken to the veterinarian. Officers were able to find his owner.