A Stuffed Toy & A Wide Smile: Florida Police Officer Cheers Up Boy Who Called 911 For Feeling Lonely

911 calls, the emergency number in the USA are naturally associated with horror and fear. Police officers usually answer these emergency calls expecting a crime or accident to be reported.

However, on May 8, Tallahassee Police Department officer Joe White answered a 911 emergency call only to be greeted by the innocent voice of a 6-year-old boy looking for some friendly company. The boy had called up 911 without his parents’ knowledge because he was feeling lonely.

Instead of dismissing the call, officer White treated it with as much importance as he would have given to any other emergency.

“We have a new friend!”

“Officer White arrived on scene and the young man asked officer White to be his friend because he was lonely. Officer White took the time to explain how 911 is used and how it’s for emergencies. Then officer White said he’d always be a friend!,” the police department wrote in a Facebook post.

The little boy sat in the driver’s seat of White’s patrol car, turned on the lights and beamed while officer White explained to him that 911 is used only in situations that require immediate help from ambulance services, fire department or the police.

“The young man got a stuffed animal, got to sit in the patrol car and got to spend some time with officer White! We have a new friend!,” the Facebook post further read.

The post soon became viral, with hundreds of netizens appreciating officer White for taking out time from his busy schedule to bring a smile on the face of a boy in need of some happy company.

“officer White did a phenomenal job answering this 911 call and using it as an opportunity to be a positive mentor. He understood the caller was a child who needed a buddy or a friend to understand. He took the time to make the interaction a teaching moment for the use of 911, too. Officer White helped tie the child’s sneakers and walked with him to the patrol car so he could work the blue lights,” the proud department said in a statement to PEOPLE.

The officer is, in fact, ready to come to visit the boy again in case he feels lonely.

The department said in its statement that although the boy has an older brother, there is a huge age gap between the two of them. “He knows how to call 911 only in case of a true emergency but also knows officer White and other officers will be right there if he needs them just to talk,” the statement added.

Loneliness indeed is one of the most troublesome feelings one can go through. Although 911 is supposed to be dialled only when there is an emergency, officer White treated the call from this little boy in need of some cheer with seriousness and visited him only to ensure he smiles.

The Logical Indian appreciates officer Joe White and Tallahassee Police Department for going beyond the call of duty to make sure that the world is happy.

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