Essentially, a police officer’s work is to save lives. In order to become an uniformed agent, a great deal of bravery and, most importantly, a genuine commitment to the wellbeing of the community are crucial. Despite this, public attention has lately been directed towards instances of alleged police wrongdoings, with calls to even partly disintegrate police forces altogether growing louder each time.
At Kustom Signals, we like to hail the positives in everyday policing, so we share how at different times during this year, three officers from across the US found themselves in situations where the life of a child was at risk. Without hesitating, and pushing all fears aside, these heroic officers stepped in and did everything they could to save lives. Headlines like these rarely get as much attention as the more negative ones, which is why we have gathered the following three stories of life-saving police officers.
Unexpected savior
In the last days of October, a baby who was later diagnosed with Covid-19 was unresponsive and waiting for medics when South Carolina Deputy Shawn Gopaul arrived at the scene and started performing CPR on the infant. Once the ambulance arrived, the child was taken to Monroe, North Carolina, and then airlifted to Charlotte.
Fortunately, after being treated, the baby was allowed to go back home and was reportedly expecting a full recovery. Right after the incident, which took place in the town of Pageland, Deputy Gopaul quarantined, luckily later testing negative for Covid-19, according to his department.
A rollercoaster of emotions
Formerly a Navy medic, Officer Kacey Mays from Union Springs, Alabama gained widespread acclaim from the local media in June after attempting to save the life of a child, also with Covid-19. Mays was responding to a call that originated from the Sardis Mobile Home Community on Highway 223, where a father found his son in distress, unable to breathe, and with high temperature.
Officer Mays recalls how the father came out of his house with the baby in his arms and handed it to him. Mays then took the baby to the porch of a vacant mobile home nearby and performed CPR. Minutes later, the paramedics arrived and he stepped aside, went behind his patrol unit and broke down in tears.
Sadly, despite the exhaustive efforts of both the officer and the paramedics to save the child, who was just about to turn 6 months, he didn’t survive. Mays then also tested negative for Covid-19.
Wanting to do something for the family who had just lost a baby, Mays and his wife raised all the necessary funds for a funeral and burial to be held. Had it not been for Mays’ support, the grieving parents wouldn’t have been able to give the baby a proper farewell.
Already a hero two weeks into the job
On a mid-October afternoon, Georgia Officer Zakia Williams was heading home when she suddenly noticed something was wrong. As she rolled down her window, she heard a woman yelling “my baby is not breathing.” Williams immediately pulled over and rushed to help. Speaking to Fox23 News, she recalls how she put the girl on her knee because she didn’t want to put her on the ground, and then performed CPR.
In just a matter of seconds, the girl was breathing again. The paramedics arrived and the girl was taken to hospital to be checked. What’s more interesting about Williams’ experience, is that she was a new school resource at Gwinnett County Public School at the time of the incident. “When I signed up for this job, I knew what it entailed,” Williams said. “The main thing was to protect and serve my community. And I just feel like I was fulfilling part of my duty.”
Good officers are the majority
While it is true that some officers may not be the fittest for the job, those who selflessly put on their uniforms to protect their communities and save lives are the real face of this institution. Help paint a more positive picture of law enforcement by sharing this article with those around you!