A rookie police officer from Savannah, Ga., is seen in a photo comforting a one-year-old boy who was found walking the street alone on Monday.
Officer James Hurst was photographed hugging the toddler in an undisclosed area hospital after responding to a call on May 9 of a child walking alone.
The young boy, who was taken to hospital, was crying and sobbing, so Hurst decided to comfort and soothe him.
“I asked the hospital staff if I can hold him to comfort him and soothe him a little bit to try to calm him down, to continue getting medical care and they said that was fine,” said Hurst to WSAV News.
“Minutes later… he was asleep on my chest,” Hurst continued.
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According to NBC affiliate WSAV News, the picture had garnered more than 3,000 likes on Facebook as of Thursday.
Hurst, who only began his job in January, said he not only uses his police training when on the job, but his fatherly instincts as well.
“This job is so much more than just chasing the bad guys, it is about serving the citizens of the communities you work in and doing what they need you to do.” Hurst said to WSAV News.
He went on to explain that he is a father to two small boys, one of whom has Down syndrome. So personal experiences in the hospital with his own son made him know what the one-year-old needed during the upsetting time.
“It’s what we do, every single day, not just me, but the 600 officers that are on this department,” said Hurst. “It’s just not captured. This one time it was captured.”
It’s not known why the boy was wandering the streets alone, but according to WSAV, the case is now with the state’s social service officials and the child is reported to be “safe and in good condition.”
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