In my wayback single years, I was on my way home from work, when I ran over a mattress in the fast lane of the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles. I was going 80 miles an hour, so the mattress immediately wedged underneath my car. With cars whipping past me, I desperately tried to get over to the shoulder. I made it over, and was about to call AAA, because, frankly, I had no idea what else to do.
Before I could press the speed dial, a California Highway Patrol officer immediately appeared and demanded to have my keys. Flustered and surprised by his presence, I handed them over. He worked the mattress out from under my car, and moved it over into the shoulder. He got under the car to check out the wheels, and then came back to me and handed me my keys.
The officer said, "I had to get it out quickly, otherwise, the mattress would have caught fire." He recommended I get my car checked out by a mechanic, then asked if I was okay. Still bemused, I said I was fine, and thanked him for his assistance. He said you're welcome, got back in his cruiser, leaving as quickly and quietly as he came.
The CHP officer's watchful awareness and quick action saved my car, and possibly my life. It is situations like these, where quick action and decision-making are required, where law enforcement often shine and are at their best. Which is why it boggles my mind that Democrats and the left continually work to defund, demonize, and target law enforcement who do their jobs and fulfill their calling.
That needs to change.
Hero law enforcement is the subject of this week's Feel-Good Friday.
Speaking of California, on February 20, a fire broke out in an apartment building in Milpitas, a city in the San Francisco Bay area. Several of the residents, including one family with a toddler and a dog, were confined to their balconies on the second story of the building, trying to escape the quickly moving flames.
The Milpitas Police Department shared the 911 call, and the incredible action by two of their officers, on their Facebook page.
LISTEN/WATCH:
Last Saturday at about 3:13 PM, our Dispatch Center received a call from residents trapped inside a burning apartment near the 550 block of S. Park Victoria Drive. Flames were spreading quickly through the building, and the callers were sheltering on a second-story patio, asking for help.
Dispatchers immediately coordinated police and fire response. In less than two minutes, Officer Barragan and Officer Hartley arrived to find the apartment fully engulfed, with smoke and flames pushing outward as the family waited above.
With the fire intensifying, the officers quickly assessed the situation and began communicating with the family on the patio. Working together, they guided the parents through the unimaginable, safely dropping their 3-year-old child down to waiting officers below. Moments later, the family dog was also dropped safely.
Then they helped the rest of the family members make their way down the ladder. That must have been incredibly frightening for this family, but they trusted that Officers Barragan and Hartley would do their utmost to ensure their child and their dog were safe. Moments after the dramatic rescue, the Milpitas Fire Department arrived on the scene and firefighters ably assisted the other residents off their balconies and away from the building.
Not one life was lost. That's a huge win.
We are incredibly thankful for the calm and courage shown by the residents during such a terrifying moment, and for the seamless teamwork between our dispatchers, officers, and fire personnel. We are grateful to report that no one was seriously injured.
Another Feel-Good Story: Off-Duty ICE Agents Save a Boy's Life; So Much for the Terrorized Citizens and ICE Gestapo Narrative
Feel-Good Friday: MO Community Shares the Love for Daughters of Officer Injured in the Line of Duty
I wrote another article this week (linked above) about off-duty ICE agents in Minnesota who saved a four-year-old's life, after the distraught mother asked them for help. With the horrible way that these agents and other law enforcement have been treated, they could have easily called it in and left it to the local LEOs. Instead, they sprung into action, administering CPR to the child and calming the chaos at the scene.
When law enforcement is allowed to do the job of response, protection, and peace keeping, lives are saved and communities are bettered. There are probably a thousand more stories like these across our great country. I am grateful for the work law enforcement does everyday, and pray we get back to a place where trust and respect is restored; because these heroes deserve it.
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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