Itโs pretty rare that getting pulled over by the police turns out to be a good thing.
However, sometimes an empathetic officer can really change a personโs day for the better. Thatโs what happened to Kaโshawn Baldwin. He was driving along in his hometown of Cahokia, Illinois when Officer Roger Gemoules of the Cahokia Police Department pulled him over.
โIt was a normal traffic stop. The plates on the car were expired, so that was the reason he pulled me over,โ Baldwin told ABC News.
However, what happened next was pretty awesome.
Baldwin told Officer Gemoules that he was on his way to a job interview at FedEx.
He knew that he shouldnโt be driving, but he needed that job to get his life back on track. Even though Baldwin had an expired driverโs license and his plates werenโt up to date, he took the risk anyway and prayed he could make it to his interview and back without any trouble.
Officer Gemoules proved sympathetic to the case and made an out of the ordinary offer.
Not only did he decide not to ticket Baldwin, but he also volunteered to drive him to his job interview. The story quickly went viral on Facebook.
โThat kind of brought joy out of me,โ said Baldwin.
The two were an unlikely duo, but it just goes to show that at the end of the day, being a police officer is all about serving the people.
โHe drove me to my interview. I asked him โCan you take me to my interviewโ and he drove me there,โ said Baldwin.
โIt meant everything to me. It brought my spirits up; it kind of made me happy,โ said Baldwin.
In that part of Illinois, the police arenโt really known as being friends of the community.
โWith everything thatโs been going on recently in the community around here, police get a really bad rap,โ Officer Gemoules said.
Baldwin agreed.
โI was shocked that he actually gave me a ride to the interview. Normally, cops are like, where Iโm from, they donโt really do stuff like that,โ Baldwin told ABC.
Baldwin needed the new job in order to get his car plates up to date, as well as to take care of his family.
He has a two-year-old daughter he is responsible for.
โIโm out here by myself and Iโve got a daughter to take care of. Basically, just alone,โ said Baldwin.
Itโs great that Officer Gemoules went out of his way to help.
His act of kindness that day ultimately led to Baldwin getting that FedEx job, thus changing the manโs life for the better.
Instead of punishing Baldwin for his actions, Officer Gemoules took a different approach and did what the Mayor of Cahokia likes to call โcommunity policingโ.
โI am very proud of Officer Gemoules and the excellent decision-making and judgment he displayed in helping this young man. โCommunity Policingโ is something we strive for in Cahokia, because it is not always about writing tickets, or sending someone to jail. It is about helping people when we can and building relationships. Job well done Officer Gemoules and congrats to the young man for getting the job!โ said Mayor Curtis Mccall Jr.
This is the type of policing we need more of!
Watch the full video below of the story which was first shared by ABC on Good Morning America.
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