Officer C.B. Fleming is the superhero that South Hill, Virginia, needs!
When South Hill Police responded to a potentially harmful gas leak at an apartment complex, one of the officers went above and beyond the call of duty. Officer C.B. Fleming, 42, spotted girls playing in the street nearby. After checking the surrounding areas to make sure it was safe (the gas leak was not a threat), Fleming lay down on the sidewalk to play dolls with the girls.
His goal was the make the girls feel safe and out of harm's way.
"When I got into this job, I knew there was something different, other than just writing tickets and being the bad person all the time," Fleming told WTKR. "I figured if I could be that bright spot in someone's day then that's all that mattered.
Roper Boswell, 28, the girls' mother and aunt, recorded a video of the interaction and posted it to Facebook. The video quickly received over 10,000 views and comments from people showing their support. Fleming's genuine interest in children is displayed through the video.
Courtesy of Free Hugs Project
Roper described Fleming as "awesome," saying that his actions were just what the Virginia town needed to boost the positive interactions between the officers and the community.
Roper told WTKR, "People need the positivity. I was telling him that my daughter, my niece, and some of the other children here were afraid of cops. So when he came and played with them, I captured that moment, not because I thought it would go viral, but it was amazing that my niece didn't break out into tears."
Though playing with dolls on the sidewalk is not something that people typically have in mind when they think of the police, the interaction is certain to remind people that there's more to police than fighting crime and protecting the citizens -- they're here for emotional support, too.
Our hats are off to Officer Fleming and the way that he took time out of his day to make some little girls feel safe!
Have you had a similar interaction with local police? Do you see officers differently now? Tell us in the comments below.
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