It must be terrifying, for a child, to get caught up in dealings with the police – regardless of the circumstances. This is why, when Californian police officer Zach Pricer recently responded to a ‘suspicious’ incident, he was sure to be as sensitive as possible to the 11-year-old girl he met at the scene.
Pricer and another member of the Huntington Beach Police Department arrived to check in on a ‘suspicious occupied vehicle’ this week, only to find out that a mother and her young daughter were actually living inside of the car.
The Department’s official Facebook page explained what happened next: “The [other] officer contacted our Homeless Task Force to help arrange housing. As the officer worked on housing arrangements with the mother, another officer on scene, Officer Pricer, began displaying his expertise in hopscotch to the daughter.”
Filled with concern and compassion for the little girl in what must have been a very stressful situation, Officer Pricer proceeded to teach and play the game with the her, to take her mind off of the serious matter at hand.
Speaking to a local media publication afterwards, Pricer explained: “For an 11-year-old girl, to see a police officer towering over her is a scary thing. I was trying to break the ice and get her to feel comfortable with me."
What a stand-up officer.
This morning an officer checked on a suspicious occupied vehicle in the area of Graham and Edinger. During his...
Posted by Huntington Beach Police Department on Wednesday, March 30, 2016
