Policemen Come to the Rescue on First Day of School

ORIGINAL POST

As seen on the City of Phoenix Police Department Facebook Page, posted 8/13/13.



On Monday, August 5th, 2013 Phoenix Police Officer Ben Carro, a Community Action Officer (CAO) from the Phoenix Police Mountain View Precinct, was assigned to help with traffic control at Loma Linda Elementary for their first day of school. While on the east side of school speaking with an aid, Ben saw a young girl walking alone toward to the school and she appeared to be crying. The child (Leslie Gonzales) was carrying two books, had no water and no backpack. The aid (Jill Lebario) walked over to Leslie and asked the child what was wrong. Leslie conveyed she was upset because she didn’t have a backpack and that her mother would not be able to buy one for approximately two weeks. Jill did the best she could to console and encourage Leslie as she entered the school grounds. Leslie was still visibly upset and crying.

Jill told Ben why the child was crying and Ben let Jill know he would take care of Leslie. Ben contacted Officer Jon McLachlan, also a CAO, and the two officers agreed to take a ride to the local Target. These officers not only purchased a backpack for Leslie, they also purchased a lunch box, water bottle (since she walks to school), folders, pens, markers, crayons, a ruler and pencils. The officers took the purchases back to the school and presented them to Leslie.

These two officers “had Leslie’s back (pack)”, and her lunch box and her pencils and everything else they thought the child might need. In the end, Leslie had come to school crying and upset, but by the middle of her first hour on that ever so important first day of school, she was smiling and enjoying a fresh start to the new school year!

This is what our Phoenix Police officers do in support of the community they serve. Kudos to Officers Ben Carro and Jon McLachlan!