What do you do when you’re in an abusive relationship? You go to the police. One woman in Maryland went to the Prince George County police station with her 1-year-old daughter. She had grabbed as many bags of her personal beglongings as she could and she and her daughter headed to the police station.
Once there, she sat in the lobby, and she felt safe. She didn’t have to tell anyone about her situation. Just being there made a big difference. Then, after a short time, Corporal Che Atkinson passed her in the lobby. He did a double take. Then, he walked back to her. He had to question her; he had to know why she was there. And she told him.
She said she was a victim of domestic violence, and she had nowhere else to go. Immediately, the officer got a hold of one of the woman’s relatives, and they were to pick her and her child up later.
But the next day, as Officer Atkinson was walking back into the lobby to start his shift, he spotted the same woman still there with her child. Seems that that relative could not pick up the woman until later in the week, the officer was told. And then he learned the woman had not eaten in the past two days.
Well, that was going to be enough of depending on someone else. Officer Atkinson, after finding a child seat and putting it into his car, took the woman and child to a hotel and bought her a room for the night. He also bought them food and drinks.
Says Officer Atkinson: “I had the extra money. What would it hurt just to put them up for a night to make sure they’re safe? This is a helpless child so it’s our duty to help and that child was definitely in need.”
The story about Officer Atkinson, the woman and her child went viral. And the officer said he was shocked at how much attention the situation was getting. To him, he said, “It’s not a big deal.” But for anyone put into a situation like that after domestic abuse, it was quite a big deal.
One of our District I patrol officers has reinforced the PGPD’s pledge to not only protect citizens, but serve them as…
Posted by Prince George's County Police Department on Friday, 28 August 2015
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, please call 1-800-799-7233, or get to your local police department they care. But whatever you do, don’t let it go.
We are sure you enjoyed the above story… watch for more: https://youtu.be/yz8myioZ38A?t=143
