It was second grade when I was introduced to Officer Friendly. I suspect that wasn't his real name, but that's how he introduced himself. Officer Friendly visited our school from the local police station, and talked to us kids about what he did, how he helped out in the community, and that we could reach out to him for help anytime. Yes, I have just severely dated myself, but it was a branding moment.
While many people I know have a fear of cops and dread their presence, this has never been my issue. I believe that my lack of dread and refusal to react in an adversarial fashion to police presence has made the difference in those handful of times that I have encountered them or been pulled over.
This week's Feel-Good Friday is about an "Officer Friendly" who transformed what could have been a volatile situation into a life-changing moment for a woman who was not just having a very bad day, but who was working to reverse a very bad life.
Channel 9 WSOC-TV in North Carolina got wind of a story that took place in March, and correspondent Hannah Goetz petitioned the courts to have the bodycam and cruiser footage released. Not because Cabarrus County Deputy Shawn Singleton did something wrong, but because he did everything right.
The view is nothing out of the ordinary; it starts with a standard traffic stop. Singleton tells a driver that she was stopped for going 61 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone.
Katelyn Ricchini, the driver, says she was heading home from church when she got pulled over that Sunday.
“I meet him with absolute attitude, just absolute attitude,” Ricchini told Goetz.
The body camera video shows their interaction.
“I’m not allowed to have bad days?” she said.
“No, everybody is entitled to a bad day. I can understand that completely, okay, but like, I’m trying to be nice and courteous to you, and like, I’m getting a lot of heat off,” Singleton can be heard telling her.
“I’m sorry, I come from a background where I don’t do cops, I can’t stand cops, OK,” she said.
Boom. Kind of proves my point. If all you have had are bad experiences with police, and that is how you react to them, then almost every experience with police ends up becoming a self-perpetuating cycle. However, Deputy Singleton took the time to listen and see past Ricchini's attitude, and he reacted differently. The Deputy ran her license and her plate number, then decided to let Ricchini off with a warning.
I could tell something was going on, but, and you know, just asked a question, and sometimes it elicits an answer that you expect, and sometimes it elicits an answer that you don’t expect. And this was definitely one that I didn’t expect, Singleton told Goetz.
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Maybe it was due to Deputy Singleton's kindness, or the fact that she had been shown mercy, but Ricchini broke down in front of him. She admitted that she was suffering from anxiety, that she had recently become clean and sober, and she had chosen to move to North Carolina so she could get herself together for her son, whom she had left behind in Maryland.
Singleton encouraged her in her journey.
I understand probably where you came from is probably not the best. OK, you came down here for a reason, right? Okay, give it a chance. OK, don’t bring the anxieties, Singleton said.
Before you watch the entire exchange, grab a box of Kleenex — it's a tear-jerker.
WATCH:
As stated above, this was back in March. So, the icing on this delicious cake was that Ricchini did give it a chance and pushed past her anxieties, staying on track with her sobriety. Ricchini told reporter Hannah Goetz that she will attain her one-year sobriety chip in November, and she invited Singleton to celebrate this milestone with her. Ricchini also now has a full-time job, and her son, Isaiah, is living with her again. What a lovely moment when Ricchini introduced Isaiah to the Deputy, who showed her great compassion and rescued her when she was about to go over the edge.
I love what Deputy Singleton told Goetz.
I try to show mercy and grace where I can, because that’s what I believe is the calling for myself and for law enforcement is, that’s what most of us get into. We want to be there to help. If you have that moment, that chance to show that sympathy, and that moment to do it, and not just walk badly by because it may mean the difference to somebody else.
Mad props and fierce prayers for all of our law enforcement who put their lives and their hearts on the line every day.
Editor's Note: At RedState, it's not all about politics and policy. We like to bring attention to what's good in the world, with columns like "Feel-Good Friday," "Start Your Weekend Right," and "Hoge's Heroes."
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