OHIO-During an ordinary shift at night, a call came out from a worried mother a few states away asking police to check on her daughter. The call came out as a welfare check on a woman who had an abusive boyfriend. The woman's mother expressed that the woman did not want to call police as she was afraid for what her boyfriend may do if he found out.
Officer Ricardo Thompson of Reynoldsburg PD (OH) received the call. He was told that she worked at night at a warehouse across town and that would be the best way to check on her. He arrived and made contact with the woman. After talking with her awhile he learned that she had been in an abusive relationship for several years, wanted to return home to her state but was afraid to take action. The woman worked to support the household with no money left over to make the move she so desired and with four children the struggle was very real. Police learned her boyfriend had warrants and would be able to pick him up on those. When asked who could she call to take care of her children while he was in jail and she was at work she had no one. Feeling compelled to help her, Officer Thompson asked her how much it would cost to move back to her home state. He then gave her all the entire $180 that was in his wallet and helped devise a safe plan to remove her boyfriend from the situation.
Later that morning, Officer Thompson went to the house when the woman got off of work. The plan was to act as though they had never spoken before, so as to not send off a warning to the boyfriend. The event went smoothly and the victim thanked Officer Thompson for his kind gesture.
When it comes down to it, policing is helping others. "It is about protecting those who cannot protect themselves," said Officer Thompson. That is certainly what he did that day. Just a little more effort and caring can go such a long way and can permanently and positively impact those in the community.
