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. With our new series, we aim to bring some much-deserved attention to the little things our officers do for our communities every day. Check out this week’s round-up of inspiring stories from around the country and send us your stories of cops being everyday heroes.
1. Ill. officer helps replace teen’s stolen homecoming dress
This afternoon while getting her nails done, a high school freshman’s homecoming dress was stolen. She called the police...
Posted by DeKalb IL Police Department on Saturday, September 26, 2015
DEKALB, Ill. — After 14-year-old Anaiah Rollins got her nails done for a homecoming dance, she went home and realized her dress was no longer in her bag, ABC 7 reported.
When DeKalb Police Officer Jonathan Jursich responded to the call, he knew he couldn’t just leave the freshman stranded on the night of her big dance.
“She was in a predicament and I wanted to help her out. I just couldn’t just leave her there with a police report and say ‘have a nice night,’” Jursich said to the publication.
Jursich took Anaiah to a store recommended by a female sergeant, helped her buy a new dress and jewelry, then escorted her to the dance in his patrol car.
Anaiah’s mother, Tammy Rollins, told the publication she doesn’t care if they ever catch the thief because her daughter gained a new friend for life.
“I want to thank Officer Jursich again, and Maurice’s, and everyone that helped my daughter have the best possible experience that she could that day, and she’ll never forget it,” Tammy told ABC7.
2. Kan. officer’s gesture brings homeless man to tears
ROELAND PARK, Kan. — When Officer Zach Stamper followed up on reports of a suspicious person in the park, he found Samuel Meixueiro, FOX 4 reported.
Meixueiro told Stamper about his current predicament, how he’d lost his home, sleeps in a church and walks five to six hours every day to work. He was taking a break when Stamper approached him.
After Stamper heard Meixueiro’s story, he gave him a ride to work but he couldn’t stop thinking about his situation.
“I was like, wow. My commute, I drive to work and it’s done. I couldn’t imagine spending five hours a day traveling back and forth to work, let alone on foot,” Stamper told FOX 4.
Stamper went back to Meixueiro’s work a half-hour after dropping him off, and gave Meixeiro a bike and a duffel bag. Meixueiro touched by the officer’s deed, cried and thanked him from the bottom of his heart.
“It made my day. It made my career,” Stamper told the publication.
3. NC cop helps mom in need fill gas tank
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Kat Hartman had just finished selling her two-year-old’s stroller at a consignment store for gas money and was feeling low, WCNC reported.
Hartman put down what little money she had to pay for gas for the week, she told WCNC. Huntersville Police Officer Bautista watched the mother pay $6 in change then followed her back out to her car.
“He said, ‘I told myself this morning that I’m going to do something nice for someone else today, and I’m going to fill up the rest of your tank,’” Hartman told the publication. “I immediately started to bawl my eyes out.”
The kind deed touched Hartman and she posted a picture with the officer to Facebook thanking him for his help. The post has over 120,000 likes.
This is officer Bautista. He did something amazing for me today! I walked into the gas station to get some gas. I was...
Posted by Kat Hartman on Monday, September 21, 2015
4. Unidentified NY officer helps woman replace tire
TROY, N.Y. — Jennifer Jones-Coalts posted on Facebook about a kind officer who helped her daughter, CBS 6 reported.
The officer, who has remained anonymous, helped Jones-Coalts’ daughter when she had a flat tire on her car. He made sure she safely got to the auto dealership and then paid to have her tire replaced.
“The world that we live in is a lot different than it used to be, and it’s nice to see people can still be kind like that,” Auto shop worker Mike Derubertis said to the publication.
Jones-Coalts ask people to pay it forward to cops everywhere and hashtagged her post “there are good cops out there.”
5. Utah sisters thank officer who saved their lives
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Bre and Kayli Lasley are happy to be alive after a knife-wielding burglar broke into their home and stabbed them, FOX 13 reported.
Bre heard a clatter of glass breaking in her home and a man say, “I’m going to kill you,” she told the publication. She tried to call 911 but couldn’t get to the phone. As Bre tried to fight off the attacker, Kayli tried to help her sister but the intruder kicked both down the stairs.
He began stabbing Bre in the stomach and legs. As he kneeled on both her arms and raised his knife, he told her again that he was going to kill her.
At that moment, an officer appeared.
“That’s when I saw the officer and he was our angel,” Bre Lasley said through tears. “I looked at the officer and his eyes and he was so professional and calm and I said, ‘officer, he’s going to kill me!’”
The suspect refused to drop his knife and the officer fatally shot him once in the head.
The suspect was identified as 48-year-old Robert Berger. He had broken into several homes in the area and the officer was already on his trail when he arrived just in time to save the sisters.
The officer has not been identified. He is on administrative leave until the department completes its investigation.