JOB SATISFACTION, DELIVERED

From the mundane to assisting with a roadside childbirth, it’s all in a day’s work for officers.

STORY BY NICK PERNA PHOTOS COURTESY OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

There are no customer satisfaction surveys in law enforcement. After saving a life, you don’t get a survey emailed to you asking for input on the level of service. You know the ones: “On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being worst and 10 being best, please indicate how satisfied you are with the customer service you received. Your feedback is important to us!”

Most times, cops respond to calls, do their jobs and never receive much in the way of positive feedback. Of course, there’s no shortage of negative input when someone isn’t happy with what you did. But that’s OK. Folks don’t get into law enforcement for accolades. If you need a constant pat on the back, you’re in the wrong line of work.

Every once in a while, though, someone comes back ’round to say thanks.

DEPUTY DANIEL “RED” Jones of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in west-central Florida was on “routine” patrol when he came upon a woman in distress. He located her on the side of a road off Highway 60 near Plant City. The woman was pregnant and was about to go into childbirth. Deputy Jones arrived just in time to help deliver the child. Most officers receive basic first aid training, including how to assist in delivering children.

In his bodycam video, Deputy Jones can be heard asking the woman the predelivery questions. One question that first responders are trained to ask is whether the woman has given birth before. In this case the woman responded that this was her sixth child, to which Deputy Jones replied, “Six? Y’all need a better hobby!” Interestingly enough, this was nothing new for Deputy Jones either. This was the third baby he has helped deliver while at work. The body camera footage can be found on the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office YouTube page.

About two weeks later, Mom, Dad and their new baby girl came to the sheriff’s office to meet Red.

Deputy Jones seemed to take it all in stride. As a veteran “deliverer of babies,” it was just another day on the job.

IT’S ALL TOO easy to send a nasty email or make a social media post when you feel you were unjustly cited for driving too fast, along with a snarky comment like, “Why don’t you go after the real criminals?” However, it’s just as easy to say something nice.

Every day, cops are helping their communities by doing mundane tasks like changing flat tires or putting extra effort into solving a vehicle burglary. They also routinely perform extraordinary feats like pulling people from burning buildings or getting between a citizen and a violent offender.

If you’ve been on the receiving end of an act of kindness, hard work or bravery by a police officer, let them know. Your feedback truly is important to us! 

Editor’s note: Author Nick Perna is a sergeant with the Redwood City Police Department in northern California. He is a frequent contributor to multiple print and online forums on topics related to law enforcement, firearms, tactics and veterans issues.