A little boy secretly placed a call to 911 without his mother knowing. When a police officer showed up at his home, not only was his mom stunned, but his reason for the emergency call caused people to say it gave them hope for our country.
A heartwarming moment caught on video by a deputy sheriff responding to a 911 call at a Florida residence has gone viral. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office posted bodycam footage on their Facebook page of Deputy Scott Pracht responding to an emergency call.
In the footage, Deputy Pracht knocks on the door as a woman emerges from the backyard, claiming to have been walking her dog. She appears perplexed by the officer’s arrival. “Hello, is this your home?” Deputy Pracht asked the woman. “Everything okay? We had a 911 call.”
The woman told Deputy Pracht that she was alright, and he informed her that a 911 call had been received from her residence. “We can talk to my son,” the mother said as she opened the front door and asked her son to join them out front.
While waiting, the mom and Deputy Pracht discovered that the child had a “disconnected cell phone,” which could still make emergency calls but could not dial out to other contacts. “To be honest, he doesn’t even know what 911 is,” the mother admitted to the police. The deputy said it was “not a problem” to explain 911 to the child.
Before being questioned about his actions, the young boy skipped towards his mother and Deputy Pracht. “Did you call this gentleman?” his mother inquired, referring to the law enforcement officer. “Did you call the police?”
The boy responded, “Well, I wanted to give him a hug.” Deputy Pracht laughed at the unusual request. While she was checking her child’s phone, the boy came out of the home and hugged the officer, who returned the hug. “I know what’s your phone number: 9-1-1!” the child added, pleased to have made a new friend.
“Yeah, but do you know what that’s for?” Deputy Pracht asked. “It’s if you’re in trouble and you need help, or if somebody you know is around you and that’s in trouble and needs help. It’s very important. You gotta be careful when you call that number, okay?” he explained.
The officer forgave the child without hesitation and reassured the mom that it was okay. “Ten-four… kid just wanted a hug,” Deputy Pracht amusingly said on his radio before the video cuts out. The footage quickly went viral.
One netizen to declared, “This is the feel-good story we all need right now.”
Another posted, “This gives me hope for America! Those who appear to control our school systems, are responsible for much of the disrespect of law enforcement. This little boy puts all the cop haters to shame!”
While another netizen added, “I’m not crying. Somebody around here must be peeling onions. Love this story.”
“We deeply appreciate the genuine kindness shown by this young child,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement, according to WFLA 8. “Our deputies are more than willing to share a hug and spread love to children in our community. However, it’s essential for everyone to remember that 911 is a lifeline for emergencies,” he added. “We are here to help, and we encourage parents and educators to teach children about the appropriate use of emergency services.”
Hopefully, the kindness shown by everyone involved in this story brings tears to your eyes and warmth to your heart. We could all use a little more of that in our lives. This little boy proves that love is more powerful than anything else.
