By Ben Pugh
Prepare yourself for some serious feels.
Law enforcement officers are often witness to people’s darkest days. Whether it be arriving on scene to something gruesome, saying goodbye to a dear friend, or being tasked with delivering the worst news imaginable to a family member, these emotional moments are a difficult part of the job. Most times, these moments take place in private, but sometimes, a photo captures the heartbreak.
1) An officer witnesses as a grieving brother gets the news
San Jose, CA - A stabbing in the street, thought to be gang-related, took the life of a teenage boy right after school let out. The victim’s brother arrived to the crime scene an hour later.
2) A police dad who doesn’t want to talk about it on Christmas morning
3) An officer comforts his partner as she takes her last breath
4) A service dog given his final salute
Plymouth, MA - Kaiser, a German Shepherd police K-9 who had severe kidney disease, makes his final journey to the Court Street Animal Hospital.
5) An upset kid needing a hug
Portland, OR - Devonte Hart, 12, was at a demonstration holding a sign that said “free hugs.” Portland Police Sgt. Bret Barnum noticed that he seemed upset, so he motioned the boy over. After talking, the two hugged with a photographer capturing the touching moment.
6) An officer holds an innocent child after his mother and siblings were brutally murdered
Sacramento, CA - Police respond to a brutal triple homicide, found by this baby’s father. The father’s brother-in-law murdered his own sister and her two children, sparing the life of the youngest child. The officer holds the baby until a social services worker arrives.
7) A cop shows up at a young boy’s graduation a week after giving him the worst news imaginable
Orange, TX - Riley and Emily Portie, parents of five children, were struck and killed by a drunk driver. Officer Eric Ellison was tasked with breaking that horrible news to their oldest son, Kazzie, just days before he was to graduate high school. Heartbroken, Kazzie asked Officer Ellison what he should do. Ellison told him, “You’re going to walk…your mom and dad will have front row looking down from heaven, and I’ll stand in their place.” This photo captures the moment that Ellison made good on his promise to be there for Kazzie.
8) A K-9 partner says a final goodbye to his handler
Bardstown, KY - Officer Jason Ellis, 33, was slain, ambush-style in Kentucky while on duty. His K-9 partner, Figo, attended the funeral, placing his paw on the casket as a final goodbye.
9) An officer comforts a mother at her son’s grave
Watertown, SD - Officer Chad Gamber responded to Mount Hope Cemetery in response to possible grave site damage. When there, he found Phyllis Boyd, a mother grieving for her son she lost a year earlier. This photo captures the moment Officer Gamber sat down and spent some time with her as she talked about her son.
10) An officer distracts a young boy as his mother is trapped under the car
Victoria, Australia - An officer distracts a young boy with a stuffed animal while his co-workers work to rescue the boy’s pregnant mother, trapped under the car – she had been trying to stop the car from rolling down her steep driveway with her son inside. She is said to have recovered fully.
11) An officer saves a baby with CPR on the side of the highway
Miami, FL - Pamela Rauseo’s nephew, Sebastian, stopped breathing and was turning blue while they were stuck in highway traffic. She pulled over and screamed for someone to help. As luck would have it, a police officer and two firefighters, who were also stuck in traffic, rushed to her aid. The boy was given CPR, saving his life.
12) An officer sings to a little girl as her entire family is rushed to the hospital in a crash
Brighton, CO - Officer Nick Struck holds a little toddler close, as rescue workers work to rush her mother and three siblings to the hospital. Her father was said to have died at the scene.
13) Four officers stand in for fallen officer at his daughter’s wedding
Seattle, WA - Back in 2009, when Kristen Mundell was just 16, her father, Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputy Kent Mundell, was killed in the line of duty. At her wedding 6 years later, Kristen was reduced to tears when four officers showed up to take turns sharing her father-daughter dance.
14) The department attends a little girl’s kindergarten graduation after her police dad was lost earlier that week
Phoenix, AZ - Officer Daryl Raetz was conducting a DUI stop when another vehicle struck and killed him. This happened just 3 days before his little daughter’s kindergarten graduation. Phoenix Police showed up, lining the walkway for her. She managed to smile...at least for a moment.
