Police officers have been taking a lot of heat in recent years, but it is important to stop and remember all the good things that they do.
Nothing illustrates this better than the time LAPD officer John Neal Cooke rescued a 2-year-old baby boy who was abandoned in a car after his mother crashed into a fire hydrant and fled the scene.
The mother, Elizabeth Robles, 27, was suspected of driving under the influence after she hit a fire hydrant, took off on foot, and left the child in the car.
If there is one thing that all parents understand, it is the connection that mothers and fathers have with their kids.
For most of us, abandoning our child like that would be an unthinkable action.
That is why it is so obvious the mother was not thinking clearly in this situation.
The saving grace was officer Cook, who is seen comforting the poor infant after the fact in a video captured by Inside Edition.
As Cooke hands the baby his bottle, the boy reaches out to him for comfort. Cooke picks up the boy, holds him against his shoulder, and gently pats him on the back.
It is images like this that help show us of the human side of police officers, reminding us that the vast majority of them out there are normal, good people, who are just trying to do their job.
In this situation, it is safe to say Cooke is definitely one of the good guys. He really went well above and beyond the call of duty here.
In the video, Cooke elaborated on what happened as he arrived at the scene and approached the vehicle.
“I hear someone yelling, ‘there is a baby back here!’ It was just a little 2-year-old guy crying in the backseat,” Cooke recalled.
It’s hard to imagine leaving your child in the car and just taking off like that. Especially as after the fact, the fire hydrant was left spraying a giant fountain of water high into the air. The mother must have been in a complete panic.
“The mom did a monstrous thing in abandoning her child,” Cooke said.
The police later arrested the woman and said that she had been drinking at the time when she crashed into the hydrant.
It all occurred early in the morning on Saturday, so it is likely she had been out with the baby all night partying. After the scene shown in the video, the child was taken to the hospital.
Luckily, neither the infant, mother or anyone else ultimately suffered any injuries.
It is a small miracle really.
“It could have been much worse. We were right there at the right time,” Cooke said.
In addition to driving under the influence, the mother will also face child abandonment charges.
Check out the video below for the full report and to see the amazing human moment when officer Cooke comforts the 2-year-old child.
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