When police officers arrive at a home, it’s rarely under happy circumstances. The flashing lights, the uniforms, the quiet tension in the air — it’s enough to make any adult uneasy. For children, it can be confusing, even frightening. They may not understand why strangers in badges are speaking to their parents, or why the mood in the room suddenly changes.

That was the case earlier today, when Officer Newell and Officer Hutchings responded to a fraud case. Officer Newell had just arrested the suspect and was speaking with the victim — a mother — trying to piece together the details. Her young son sat nearby, wide-eyed, watching it all unfold.

Children don’t always have the words for what they’re feeling in those moments, but they feel it all the same — the stress in the room, the worried glances, the unfamiliarity of the situation. That’s when Officer Hutchings quietly stepped in.

While Newell talked to the mother, Hutchings knelt down to the boy’s level and started chatting with him. A few minutes later, he spotted a small stack of picture books on the table. He picked one up and began reading aloud. The boy relaxed, inching closer, drawn in by the sound of the officer’s voice and the colorful illustrations.

One story turned into two. Then three. By the time Officer Newell finished his interview and went to find Hutchings, he was greeted not by the sight of his partner standing in the doorway — but sitting cross-legged on the floor, reading a fourth storybook to a little boy who was now smiling ear to ear.

It wasn’t part of the official investigation. It didn’t make the case go faster or the paperwork any easier. But it made a difference. The boy would remember that moment — not just the day the police came to his house, but the day one of them sat down and read to him until he felt safe again.

“Most of us are fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters,” the department later shared. “No matter what we’re dealing with at work, we’re all human. And 99% of officers got into this job for the right reasons — to make this world a better place for our kids.”

Sometimes, justice is served in a courtroom. Other times, it’s found in a living room, in the voice of a police officer reading a storybook, reminding a child that there’s still kindness in the world.