Behind the Badge
Early Sunday morning, Dallas police officer Donald Boice was at the scene of a fatal crash when he received news about another major car accident nearby.
“Honestly, my thoughts were just, ‘Please, God. Not another one tonight,’” Boice told Fox 4 News.
Even though Boice was not affiliated with the sheriff’s office and did not have to respond to the call, the father of three said he couldn’t help but go when he heard that children were involved. When Boice arrived at the scene, he said the children, ages 5, 2, and 3 months, had already been removed from the overturned car.
“At that point, you kind of go from cop to parent real quick,” he said.
The children’s parents were franticly pleading with first responders on the scene to make sure their children were alright. Amongst the chaos of the wreckage, Boice went over to the children to make sure they were in good health. He then proceeded to pick up the 3-month-old infant, named Jackson.
In an effort to comfort Jackson, Boice held him in his arms and began to sing and bounce him.
“The best I can do is just kind of keep him, bounce him, sing to him the same songs that I sang to my kids when they were that age,” the officer said.
KDFW photographer Sam Hernandez captured Boice’s encounter with Jackson and tweeted several photos of the event, which went viral. Dallas officers also shared the photos, commenting that they showed a different side of law enforcement, the compassionate side, and one not often seen by the public.
“That could be my child, too,” Boice said. “And I’d want someone treating my child the same way.”
Local authorities have reported that the father suffered a fractured arm and head injury. All children were unharmed due to their car seats.
