Police officers by and large get a lot of stick these days, both online and while in the process of doing their jobs on the street.
Yet while some of the critical opinions aimed at our officers are warranted, there remain men and women out there who serve because they genuinely want to make the world a better place.
They have big hearts and are bursting with compassion. In any case, that certainly sums Officer James Hurst up. A rookie with the Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police, he went viral in 2016 after a picture surfaced of him cuddling an abandoned toddler.
As per reports, Officer Hurst and a few of his colleagues had been dispatched to check out a call from the Cuyler-Brownsville neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia.
It transpired that concerned neighbors had called in to report a 16-month-old boy was wandering the streets. It wasn’t clear who he was or where he had come from, nor was it clear for how long he’d been walking alone.
Officer Hurst, who has two children of his own, knew something had to be done. The officers took the abandoned toddler to the emergency room to be checked out, though the sudden shift of environment caused the little one to grow upset.
Officer Hurst explained: “The boy, obviously, being so small, became very upset. He was crying. He was sobbing.
“I asked the hospital staff if I can hold him to comfort him and soothe him a little bit to try to calm him down, to continue getting medical care and they said that was fine.
“So I picked him up, minutes later, he, I was standing and he was asleep on my chest and with all my body armor and my gun belt, became very heavy holding this small child, so that’s when I decided to sit down on the bed and make it easier for him and me.”
A picture was taken and uploaded to social media. It went viral on Facebook, turning Officer Hurst into a hero overnight.
“It was just natural to want to soothe this child, um, I didn’t expect any of this, it’s been quite overwhelming actually,” Officer Hurst explained.
As per reports, the abandoned toddler recovered well. He was placed in the custody of Georgia Department of Family & Children’s Services.
“This job is so much more than just chasing the bad guys, it is about serving the citizens of the communities you work in and doing what they need you to do,” said Officer Hurst.
Indeed! Thank you, Officer Hurst! And thank you to everyone who helped this little boy on his way to recovery.
Share this article if you still have faith in our police force.
