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Deputy buys skateboard for girl after theft

August 28, 2015

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — When Kaylie discovered her skateboard had been stolen, she didn't expect to ever see it again.

The ninth-grader was leaving a Court of Honor ceremony Sunday when she noticed the DGK skateboard she purchased with her own money was missing. At her father's suggestion, Kaylie filed a theft report. That's when she came into contact with Deputy John Thomas of the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

After taking the report, Thomas stayed in contact with the family to check in on whether they had any luck finding the board, according to Kaylie's father Jordan English. Little did they know, at the same time, Thomas was researching the skateboard, calling the store where Kaylie bought it and making arrangements to purchase another board that was almost identical.

Kaylie rides her new board (Photo: English family) Kaylie was up in her room when three deputies showed up on her doorstep Wednesday. She said she was nervous at first, but then the deputies started asking her questions about her board. She was starting to describe its pattern when Thomas came through the door holding a board that looked almost exactly like hers.

"Right when I saw it I just stopped talking and I was just speechless and smiling," Kaylie said.

When the deputies presented the board to Kaylie, they told her she just needs to make sure she does her homework and remembers that law enforcement officers can be nice, according to Jordan English.

"We just really appreciated what the officers did so we wanted to make sure everyone knows about it," Jordan English said.

This isn't the first time Thomas has gone out of his way to help people who are down on their luck, according to Sgt. BJ Eckles. In April, Thomas purchased a bicycle for another family in Eagle Mountain when a boy's bike went missing. Over the holidays, he helped provide Christmas for a family in need.

Eckles said that while a few other deputies chipped in to buy the board, in addition to wheels and trucks that were even better than the ones on Kaylie's first board, Thomas spearheaded the whole effort on his own.

"This is just a selfless deputy that goes above and beyond what's called of him, above and beyond the call of duty," Eckles said. "He loves this."

The board Deputy John Thomas purchased. (Photo: English family) Thomas has been working for the Utah County Sheriff's Office since 2008, first as a court staff deputy and then as a road deputy. Thomas has also served multiple tours of duty in the Middle East, according to Eckles.

Thomas is reportedly a delight to work with, always making those around him laugh and looking for ways to help people who are in need. Eckles said he couldn't say enough good things about the deputy.

"He's fought for our country and now he's fighting for the country here as a law enforcement officer, so his whole life has been in service of us as a community and as a nation," Eckles said. "He is awesome. He's always been a service guy and he continues to do that."

NYPD Transit Cop Called 'Guardian Angel'

NYPD Transit Police Officer Qiang Shi saved a 19-year-old on a Sheepshead Bay subway platform last month, bringing the teen back from a near-fatal heart attack. He was at his post on the mezzanine of the Stillwell Avenue subway station in August when a woman rushed down from the platform and told him someone needed help.

“When I went upstairs, I saw his face. It was all bloody,” Police Officer Shi said. “His face was all purple, he wasn’t breathing. My first reaction was to try to get him to breathe again.”

Police Officer Shi immediately radioed for an ambulance and started chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The teen gasped for air, but he stopped breathing, and Police Officer Shi started CPR again.

Police Officer Shi recalled that after he heard the gurgle, he was thought, "Oh, thank you, just stay with me. Just don’t go to sleep." EMS arrived and removed the teen, Rio Ferrer, to the hospital where doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

Ferrer’s mom, Dianne Ferrer, sent a letter to the NYPD's Chief of Transit (see below to read letter), calling Police Officer Shi her son’s “guardian angel” and thanking him for saving him. They met with Police Officer Shi on Tuesday.

“I was speechless. I cried, and cried. I hugged him and I was hugging him for the next half hour,” said Ms. Ferrer. “There were no words to express my gratitude.”

Rio Ferrer's 10-year-old brother gave Police Officer Shi badge made from Legos during their meeting.

NYPD Transit Cop Called 'Guardian Angel' After Saving Teen In Cardiac Arrest NYPD Transit Police Officer Qiang Shi... Posted by NYPD on Thursday, September 3, 2015

Letter Sent to NYPD Chief of Transit Joe Fox: September, 2, 2015 Dear Chief Fox,

On August 15th, 2015, I experienced a mother's nightmare. At approximately 1:00 pm while waiting for a train at the MTA Sheepshead Bay station in Brooklyn (B & Q lines), my nineteen (19) year old son Rio Ferrer collapsed onto the train platform and went into cardiac arrest. As he lied on the train platform his heart stopped beating and he stopped breathing. People on the platform called 911 and ran downstairs from the elevated platform to seek assistance. Appearing on the platform moments later is New York City Police Officer Qiang Shi shield #16871 of the NYPD Transit District 34, who I refer to now as my son's guardian angel on that day. Officer Shi quickly assessed the situation and started CPR on my son. He did so as my son lied a couple of feet from the edge of the train platform as trains pulling into the station sped by. He did so despite the area around my son's chin being covered in blood due to a gash he suffered from his fall to the train platform. Officer Shi was calm, cool, and collected as he performed CPR, radioed for an ambulance, and kept the area around my son clear on that extremely hot August afternoon so my son could breath air once he was revived. When my son started breathing again Officer Shi spoke with him letting him know he was not alone and encouraged him not to go to sleep as they waited for medical assistance.

Police Officer Shi reacted quickly minimizing the time my son's brain was without oxygen. Because of his actions my son did not suffer permanent brain damage. He does suffer from memory loss, which will hopefully come back in time. He is still hospitalized but recovering everyday. He has a second chance at life thanks to the heroic actions of New York City Police Officer Qiang Shi who was equipped with CPR training, compassion, and professionalism.

Police Officer Shi is a true hero and an excellent example of a New York City Police Officer. I am sharing my story with hope that the New York City Police Department recognizes him for his heroic actions. I would greatly appreciate the department arranging a meeting where I can meet Police Officer Qiang Shi and thank him in person for his heroic actions and for saving my son's life.

I am providing you with a link where you can view the actions of Police Officer Qiang Shi on youtube.com.

Respectfully an eternally grateful mother, Dianne Ferrer

Longview officers recently went "above and beyond" to rescue a dog trapped in storm pipe.

Police help woman living off jar of peanut butter

KNOXVILLE — Two Knoxville police officers on Tuesday delivered food to a 78-year-old woman whose only source of nourishment was a half jar of peanut butter.

The North Knoxville woman called the E-911 Center in the afternoon after deciding she didn't know who else to call.

"The woman told officers that she waited so long to call for assistance because she did not want to be a burden to anyone and that she did not know who else to call," the Knoxville Police Department said in a news release.

Officers Jay Williams and Jonathan Book responded to the call for help from the Harvey Street woman and she welcomed them inside.

The officers' search of the house revealed only a half jar of peanut butter the woman had been rationing for the past week, according to the news release.

Williams and Book went to a grocery store and bought the woman some groceries, authorities said and then got a tray of hot food from the Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries.

"The officers also made several calls in an effort to obtain future assistance for the woman," the Police Department release stated.

Police officials said the woman's plight "is an example of why it is so important to check on your neighbors, the elderly and family members, especially during sever weather events."

Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk said Wednesday the woman's neighbors didn't realize her plight.

"We were able to track down a family who was unable to provide her any assistance," DeBusk said.

The woman, a widow, had heat in the home, he said, and lived alone.

More details as they develop online and in Thursday's News Sentinel.

originally posted http://www.knoxnews.com/news/watchful-eye/police-help-woman-living-off-jar-of-peanut-butter_47315862

Local Cop Saves Woman From Being Hit on Railroad Tracks. image: http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/u/u/ll2/hd_video_icon.jpg

From the OP .... The video is short but let me give you a break down of what happened. Unusual traffic caused back-up past the train tracks.

I was attempting to take a left (away from the train tracks) out of Cablevision parking lot. The woman in the blue SUV seemed in a rush as she blocked my exit and continued inching towards the tracks. At that point I thought to myself "Hey, is she crazy?...she will be stopping on top of the tracks." At exactly the same time, the RR crossing bell goes off and the signals start going off.

She stops with the vehicle off the track but still in range of the width of the train. I notice no one moving up to let her clear the tracks. A quick reaction from a near-by police officer saves the day. He jumps out of his car and runs to the vehicles in front of the "smart" lady. He calls for everyone to move up.

Looking at the video you can see that she was about 2 seconds away from having a really bad day. I thought I was about to record a liveleak karma video. Fortunately things worked in her favor. Lucky

Read more at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0a0_1424824956#jxdUlUdv1eeSwmy8.99

Thief snatches cookie sale cash box from 10-year-old California Girl Scout- Cops catch thief, buy remaining cookies

By Michael Fleeman

(Reuters) - A thief briefly struggled with a 10-year-old Girl Scout outside a California supermarket and snatched her troop's cookie sale cash box, but officers tracked down the suspect and then bought up the rest of the cookies, authorities said on Monday.

Cody Gintz, 23 of San Jose, was arrested for investigation of robbery and held on $50,000 bail at Santa Clara County Jail, according to San Jose Police spokesman Officer Albert Morales.

He said the Girl Scouts had been selling cookies at a table outside a San Jose supermarket on Sunday afternoon when Gintz grabbed the cash box away from the girl, who initially didn’t let go.

"There was a brief struggle over the box," Morales said. "The 10-year-old girl finally realized he would overpower her and let go. He took the money."

The girl, Sophia Contos, told Bay Area television station KNTV that the box contained about $600 the troop was planning to use on a water conservation project.

"He's looking around, looking at the cookies, and I keep my hands on the box," she told the station. "And (he starts) to pull away and all of a sudden he goes for it. I jerk it away, but then he's like too strong, so he gets it."

The thief drove off, but witnesses provided his description and license plate number to police, who found him about a mile a way. Morales said police found the money in the vehicle and the cash box in a nearby creek.

The money was returned to the troop, who got a bonus from the hungry officers.

“Our officers, along with our dispatchers, purchased the remaining cookies, $240 worth, and donated $60 to the troop,” Morales said. “The officers just realized this was probably a pretty traumatic experience for the girls.”

Gintz remained jailed on the bail. It wasn't immediately known whether he had a lawyer.

(Reporting by Michael Fleeman in Los Angeles; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

Carver cop saves frigid swan

CARVER, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) - A Carver police officer literally gave the shirt off his back to a wayward swan this weekend.

In what the department called, "an all too familiar sight" Officer Harriman, who is an avid animal lover, rescued a frozen swan from the side of the road. He put his jacket over the bird to help warm it up.

A plow driver called police to report the swan was sitting in a snow bank. The cold and exhausted swan was brought back to the station by Officer Harriman to warm up and rehydrate itself.

The Animal Rescue League was called to pick it up the swan in Sunday morning.

originally posted http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/28170530/carver-cop-saves-frigid-swan

Fla. cops save autistic boy's birthday after no one shows up

Police reached out to a boy and his mother after a post on social media caught the attention of the local community

Feb 19, 2015 By PoliceOne Staff

ST. CLOUD, Fla. — Police and firefighters in Florida reached out to a boy and his mother after a post on social media caught the attention of the local community.

According to WKMG, 6-year-old Glenn Buratti, who is autistic, invited his entire class to his sixth birthday and no one showed up.

“From the minute he woke up that day he wanted to know how many minutes until his friends came. None of the kids’ parents RSVP’d, but I was still holding on to the hope that some of them would show up. It never crossed my mind that it would be zero,” his mother, Ashlee Buratti, told the Osceola News-Gazette.

When his mother took to social media to rant about her son’s devastation, members of the community arrived with their children to celebrate Glenn’s big day.

The post also reached the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, who flew a helicopter over the boy’s home on the day of his birthday.

"One of our friends put him up on their shoulders and Glenn was smiling the whole time and waved. It was amazing," Buratti told WKMG.

Along with the town’s firefighters, the department arrived with gifts for the boy a few days later, the Osceola News-Gazette reported.

originally posted at http://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/8308517-Fla-cops-save-autistic-boys-birthday-after-no-one-shows-up

Regina police officer fires warning shot during pitbull attack Dog ran away unharmed

Reported by Deborah Shawcross First Posted: Feb 14, 2015 8:19pm | Last Updated: Feb 17, 2015 7:30am A Regina police officer fired their gun while being attacked by a pitbull.

Police were called around 3 a.m. Saturday after two women and a man were seen yelling and attempting to break into a house on the 800 block of Retallack Street.

When an officer with a police dog arrived at the home, the three suspects ran to the back of the house.

Police say a large pitbull that was not on a leash charged the officer three of four times. The officer yelled at the dog and kicked it to make it go away. The pitbull left but as the officer was arresting a suspect, the dog attacked again nearly biting the officer several times.

The police dog and the pitbull began fighting and when the dog advanced on the officer again, he fired a single shot that hit the ground.

The pitbull ran away, unharmed and was later found by an Animal Protection officer on Sunday in the 700 block of Argyle Street. Police are still looking for the dog's owners. The pitbull remains under the care of the officer who found it.

Regina police say the man found outside the Retallack Street home was arrested but police have not yet located the two female suspects.

Elijah Blue Cardinal, 22, was charged with breach of probation and will be in court in April.

originally posted http://cjme.com/story/regina-police-officer-fires-gun-during-pitbull-attack/535496

[email protected] Follow on Twitter: @DebShawcross

RCMP rescue baby seal from Highway 19 in Newtown, Newtown, N.S.

Inverness District RCMP officers rescued a baby seal from a residence on Highway 19 and returned it to the Strait of Canso.

On Saturday February 14th at 10 a.m., RCMP responded to a report of a seal waddling near Highway 19 in Newtown. RCMP made a patrol to the area, located the seal and placed it in back of the RCMP truck using a seal net. The seal was then transported to the Port Hawkesbury wharf where it was 'released from custody' into the Strait of Canso.

The baby seal showed his appreciation for the Mounties' efforts by posing for a photo while in the back of the truck. When a baby seal gets separated from his loved ones on Valentine's Day, RCMP showed their true love and compassion for all creatures.

Originally posted http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ns/news-nouvelles/releases-communiques/15-02-16-143248-eng.htm

Police Heroically pull dying man out of a burning car at great risk to their own lives

On Christmas Day 2014, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s deputies Joseph Trimboli and Eric Keyes responded to a traffic crash with injuries on Main Street in Destin. They arrived to find heavy flames around

Cop Helps Kid Get To School

World responds as Cornwall police help elderly man who pawned wedding ring for food

Phone calls and offers of help have been pouring into the Cornwall police from around the world after the story spread about how officers bought and returned a wedding ring to an elderly man who had pawned it to buy food for himself and his ailing wife.

The incident occurred last weekend when Cornwall police were called to a report of a possible domestic assault.

What they found instead, said Chief Dan Parkinson, was an elderly couple struggling to survive. They had been married 54 years and wife was suffering from dementia, with her husband serving as her caregiver for the last several years.

“Officers attended and rapidly determined it wasn’t a police matter,” Parkinson said. “They ran across some difficult times financially and he ended up pawning the wedding ring to get food.”

A group of about a dozen officers and civilian employees banded together to come up with the money to buy back the ring — it was inscribed “together forever” — and returned it to the husband along with a bag of groceries. They then got in touch with the Alzheimer’s Society and the Community Care Access Centre to get help for the couple.

“It struck a chord with our officers,” Parkinson said. “It wasn’t a normal call. It was an emotional time for all once they determined what had happened.”

The identity of couple has remained private — Parkinson describes the husband as “an extremely proud man” who would be mortified by the publicity.

But the chief is proud of his staff and what they did.

“Believe it or not, they don’t do this for the recognition. They did it because it’s what they do best, which is to respond compassionately.”

Parkinson told the police service board about the incident, which in return reported to council. The story was picked up by local media and soon spread around the world. Parkinson says the police service has been contacted with offers of help from as far away as Texas and the United Kingdom. Police aren’t accepting money, but have referred the offers to its victim services unit.

The incident was unusual, but similar situations are increasingly common, Parkinson said, be it drug and alcohol addiction, mental health issues, homelessness or some other social problem.

“The bigger story here is you have a couple in distress in the midst of our community and it’s the police that have to go. It’s not a police matter but it turns into one because there’s no other services out there on a Saturday or a Sunday,” he said.

“It really has caused us to become the social service of choice — we’re here 24/7, 365 days a year. If there’s anything that happens that requires assistance, it seems to roll to us. We don’t oppose intervening, because someone needs to, but our officers are called upon to deal with these things and ensure people are referred on to the proper help.”

originally reported at: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/world-responds-as-cornwall-police-help-elderly-man-who-pawned-wedding-ring-for-food

[email protected]

Twitter.com/getBAC

A Would-Be Shoplifter Gets Kindness Instead Of Handcuffs.

Police officer Justin Roby showed up on a routine shoplifting call. But instead of taking the man to jail, Roby extended a helping hand.

As soon as Roby stepped into Kroger, he saw that this was in fact, not a typical shoplifter. It was a man caught in a moment of despair.

"I found out that the father," Roby explained. "Had attempted to steal or shoplift a can of baby formula for his 6-month-old baby."

And as soon as he heard that, a single father ... caught red-handed was let off the hook.

"You see your son or your daughter in that little carrier," Roby said. "And you think what would you want somebody to do for your son or your daughter?"

Then the officer turned around and did something else shocking. He bought some more cans of formula for the single father.

"He was speechless for a while," Roby recounts. "He shook my hand and said thank you, he didn't really say a whole lot."

To Roby, what he did was not that big of a deal. It was simply what needed to be done.

"He just had hard times right now and he just needed a helping hand and that's all I did."

This is certainly an example of someone in the community MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

originally posted at http://www.lex18.com/story/27988997/best-story-ever

Animal Control Officer says goodbye to a dog he saved before he went to his new home

From imgur

Police reunite dog in stolen truck with owner

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Kansas City man is ecstatic to have his dog back. Jon Nee got a call from police Monday night that they’d found his stolen truck and Nee's dog, Mack, who was safely tucked inside his chrome dog kennel in the back of the pickup.

Police officers spent hours searching on the ground and with a helicopter up in the air. They eventually spotted the silver cage in Nee's stolen truck.

Nee worried his vehicle and Mack were gone for good.

It all started Sunday, when Nee says someone driving a Dodge Ram shot toward him going 60 mph. He had to jump to get out of the way and couldn't get a good look at the suspects.

"Someone hopped out of the Dodge and all I could hear was rubber burning out and both went off, both trucks,” Nee explained.

Two-year-old Mack, a trained hunting dog, was inside her chrome cage when the truck was stolen.

Nee begged Kansas City police for help on Facebook.

On Monday night, Officer Kevin O'Sullivan delivered the good news. They found Nee's truck, and fortunately, Mack was in the kennel the whole time.

Mack is happy to be back, and Nee says she hasn’t stopped wagging her tail.

O'Sullivan is also relieved. "It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable and I'm so happy for Jon and so glad we found that dog,” he explained, tearing up slightly.

Police haven't found the suspects who stole the truck with Mack inside. Officers tell 41 Action News the thieves abandoned the truck in a wooded area and left everything inside the cab.

originally reported at: http://www.kjrh.com/mobile-showcase/police-reunite-dog-in-stolen-truck-with-owner_

Vernon Hills Police Officer Goes Above and Beyond

If you live in northern Illinois you know how cold it was the week of January 5th. While it wasn't as severe as the record cold on January 20, 1985, it was nasty nonetheless. Hopefully, one Vernon Hills 12-year old will always remember Friday, January 9, 2015. That was the day he met Officer Mike Katzenstein of the Vernon Hills Police Department.

On most days the young man uses his cell phone as an alarm. However, on that day his mother had the phone, which resulted in him sleeping late and missing the school bus. The school administration contacted the School Resource Officer for assistance. (Depending on the circumstances, the SRO will occasionally assist in such matters.) However, the SRO was tied up in court and he requested the help of the patrol shift.

Here's where Officer Mike Katzenstein (pictured here) got involved. Mike, an eighteen year veteran of the Vernon Hills Police Department, went over to the residence to give the youth a ride to school. During the encounter, Mike noticed that the young man was without a coat and learned that he didn't have one that fit. (We won't get into the details here.)

After dropping the youth off at school, Officer Katzenstein went shopping. He purchased a coat, a hat and gloves. In fact, he didn't stop there. He also purchased an alarm clock! All out of his own pocket! He took the items to the school and asked that they discreetly be given to the student.

Officer Katzenstein's actions are certainly not part of any police officer job description. He didn't do it because he was asked to. He didn't do it for recognition. He did it because it needed to be done. What's more, he turned down an offer of reimbursement.

What's important for everyone to remember is that Officer Katzenstein is not unique. There are many police officers out there, from agencies everywhere, that would have done the same thing.

One more thing. For every time the public hears about a police officer that went above and beyond, there are probably thousands of incidents nationwide that go unnoticed.

Thanks for making us proud Mike!

Originally posted http://www.vernonhills.org/index.aspx?NID=749

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