The image was shared by the officer's department to illustrate how cops go the extra mile to protect and serve.
A North Carolina police officer was photographed coming to the aid of an autistic teen after he fled his high school.
Office Tim Purdy from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department was dispatched to help the unnamed teen who left school and may have been suicidal, according to reports.
The teen has a history of violent behavior due to a neuro-development disorder.
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When Officer Purdy spotted the student, he approached him, sat with him on the concrete and tried to connect with him. At one point, the cop even made the teen laugh.
According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, who posted the story on Facebook Friday morning, “Officer Purdy established trust and a relationship that allowed officers to get this young man the help that he so desperately needed.”
The police department wanted to share the story in order to show that law enforcement officials do more than just make arrests, but it often goes unnoticed when they go the extra mile.
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“There’s more to policing than making arrests and enforcing the law. Sometimes taking those extra little steps makes the biggest difference in someone’s life,” the police department wrote.
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