Community policing is not an easy job by any means. No matter how you measure success, there are always going to be problems and issues.
Establishing a connection with the community, however, is always helpful.
Facebook | Iesha Roper Boswell
Viral Video Earns Police Officer Praise For His Response To A Gas Leak
But if you look at just about any headline these days, you'd be forgiven for thinking that police and the communities they serve aren't on great terms right now.
At the ground level, it might even seem downright nasty. But not if you're on Officer Fleming's beat.
The "serve" part of "serve and protect" was on full display after a Virginia police officer responded to a gas leak.
Facebook | Brandon Fleming
C.B. Fleming, a corporal with the South Hill police, has earned himself praise and a following thanks to a video captured by a mom and posted to Facebook.
Officer Fleming was called out to a gas leak at an apartment complex on Valentine's Day, which thankfully turned out to be a false alarm.
Facebook | Iesha Roper Boswell
But when the area was deemed safe, he wanted to make sure the kids in the area felt safe, too.
So, Officer Fleming approached the kids playing outside and played with them, even getting down on the ground to play dolls.
The mom of one of the girls, Iesha Roper Boswell, recorded the action on her phone.
Facebook | Iesha Roper Boswell.
He made sure to give all the kids in the complex some attention, too, moving on to color with a couple of boys. "He's awesome," Iesha told WTVR. "That's the only word you can really use to describe C.B. It's just amazing, the bond he has with the children."
Officer Fleming says that "it's something I've always tried to do."
Facebook | Iesha Roper Boswell
"When I got into this job, I knew there was something different, other than just writing tickets and being the bad person all the time. I figured if I could be that bright spot in someone's day then that's all that mattered."
According to Iesha, his presence around the complex has made a huge difference.
Facebook | Iesha Roper Boswell
"People need the positivity," she said. "I was telling him that my daughter, my niece, and some of the other children here were afraid of cops. So when he came and played with them, I captured that moment, not because I thought it would go viral, but it was amazing that my niece didn't break out into tears."
And that's by design for Officer Fleming.
Facebook | Kate Fleming
"We had a lot of calls here when I first started," he said. "I figured if I could let them know that I was an anchor point, that they could come and talk t me and trust me, then I could do some good."
I want everyone, not just the kids...but the moms and ad...to know that they can come to me."
That's such a great message and hopefully more people follow his lead. Not even just cops, but other first responders or good samaritans.
It's all greatly appreciated by Iesha and the rest of the neighborhood.
Facebook | Iesha Roper Boswell
"For him to make my child feel like she's safe, she doesn't even have to call 911, she just has to call C.B. if she's in trouble. I'm glad he made this part of his job. He's changed my daughter and my niece's lives," she said.
Officer Fleming was a bit more modest when it came to the praise Iesha's Facebook post received.
Facebook | Brandon Fleming
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