Getting To The Scene
As Officer Valdez patrolled the neighborhood in his cruiser he noticed youths on street corners turn and walk in the opposite direction.
He pulled up to the house and slowly got out of his patrol car. Something was very wrong, it was eerily quiet. Then a boy ran out to meet him, what was going on?
Randolph ‘Scott’ Valdez
Randolph Valdez never became a police officer for the power or the pay. It was because he knew that he wanted to protect his neighborhood and do exactly what his badge promised - "serve and protect".
He was nervous about being on the job, after all, he was still young and inexperienced. But soon he would be faced with a dilemma that would change everything.
Life On The Job
After graduating from the academy with flying colors he soon landed a job at the Mesa Police Department. He was over the moon that he could finally start giving back to his community.
He soon got into the groove of answering domestic calls, street brawls, vandalism, and road accidents. He was happy to be keeping the peace in his neighborhood.
It Runs In The Family
Randolph always wanted to be a police officer for as long as he could remember. It ran in the family - his father before him was an officer and so was his grandfather. They were upstanding men and he wanted to follow in their footsteps.
Now that he was Officer Valdez he knew his father would be proud. But soon he found a situation that he thought might be too hot for him to handle.
“What’s Your Emergency?”
He remembers getting a call from dispatcher Anthony Bonilla telling him about a strange call he received from a young boy.
The boy said "One Mc-Happy Meal" before ending the call. But Bonilla had been a dispatcher for many years and felt his intuition kicking in. Something wasn't right. So Officer Valdez was sent to investigate.
Uneasy
Valdez always felt nervous when his work involved children. It was always a delicate matter. The boy didn't specify anything on the phone like location, emergency, or anything like that.
Sometimes people will call 911 and use phrases to try and get their point across. He decided to trace the call and got to work getting the address.
Calling Back
He called the number back “This is Anthony with the Mesa Police Department. We received several calls from this location. We just wanted to confirm that there was no emergency?”
“No. Sorry. I don’t know. The kids must have had the phone,” a gruff sounding man replied. Valdez wasn't going to take his word for it.
Dispatching An Officer
Valdez was available to go and check the house and he was more than willing. He told the 911 operator that he was going to go and see what was going on.
He would make a stop before getting to the house but he had no idea what he would find once he got to the house and checked in on the boy.
Knocking On The Door
The stop on the way was a happy meal, he thought that would help the welfare check go smoothly. He walked up to the door and rapped on it. Then he looked through the window.
A woman answered the door, he asked if everything was going alright. Then a small boy ran through the door to greet him.
Relief
Turns out, 5-year-old Charlie Skabelund was having an emergency… albeit a small one. “Get back in here, Charlie!” his mother called.
“Do you have the Happy Meal?” The boy confidently asked the officer. Randolph couldn’t contain his amusement... or his relief. But, now that he was here, he decided to teach the boy a valuable lesson.
Teaching Him A Lesson
“I have your Happy Meal right here,” Officer Randolph said. “But before I give it to you, I want to teach you about 911.”
Officer Randolph Valdez explained to the little boy that the 911 service is always there for him, but that it’s only to be used in emergencies. Charlie’s mother couldn’t believe her eyes.
A Viral Story
Charlie’s mom was so touched by Officer Valdez’s handling of the situation that she posted the story on Facebook.
“Officer Valdez was really sweet and went over the rules with Charlie about when you’re supposed to call 911. He explained how if he’s busy bringing Happy Meals to kids, he can’t help people who really need him. He couldn’t have been nicer,” she wrote. But how did she feel about her son calling 911 for a Happy Meal?
Love And Kindness
“What touched us the most is how this whole situation was handled with such love and kindness,” Kim said.
“When we found out Charlie had called 911 we were a little shocked and quite embarrassed! I didn’t know he even knew what 911 was!” she added. But the story still had yet another heartwarming twist.
Looking Out For His Sister
The cheeseburger Happy Meal that Charlie had ordered wasn’t even for himself. “That’s what Jadyn gets,” Kim explained. “Charlie only eats the chicken nuggets, he’s always looking out for Jadyn.” Jadyn is Charlie’s little sister.
And when the Mesa Police Department found out about Officer Valdez’s Happy Meal delivery, they made a statement of their own.
A Teachable Moment
Both Officer Valsez and Dispatcher Bonilla were lauded by Chief of Police, Ramon Batista: 'We are very proud of how Officer Valdez and Dispatcher Anthony Bonilla responded. They showed compassion and concern for a young Mesa community member and turned this encounter into a teaching moment.'
'Officer Valdez took time with this young boy, to share the importance of 911 and its proper use for emergencies only. It's another example of the character and strength of our Mesa Police Department.'