That day was supposed to be Chy-Niece Thacker’s big day. On that particular day, she was scheduled for a job interview. She was dressed in her best clothes and ready to impress everyone in that interview.
Chy-Niece Thacker/Facebook
Sadly, life gets in the way of our plans sometimes. As she was driving to the interview, she saw red and blue lights flashing in her rearview mirror. What happened when the officer approached left her completely surprised.
Chy-Niece
On September 1, 2017, Chy-Niece Thacker woke up ready to face the day. The young mom was scheduled for a job interview later that day and felt very hopeful about it. She knew she needed to look her best if she wanted that job.
Chy-Niece Thacker/Facebook
So, she slipped into her best business outfit, carefully did her makeup, and tried to review everything she knew about the company. She felt like a million dollars as she walked out of the door, but little did she know, life had other plans.
There Was A Problem
Chy-Niece then got into her car and pulled out of the driveway. By driving in her car, she instantly made herself a target to any cop waiting to apprehend drivers. She hadn’t known then, but as she was driving around, she was already putting people in harm’s way.
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As it turns out, Chy-Niece had a broken brake light. So, if there were any sudden stops on the highway, she might get into an accident. However, Chy-Niece had no clue and thought they were completely fine.
A Possible Reason
Going back to a month before the interview, Chy-Niece had brought her car to the local Firestone, where she was urged to get her lights checked out. She was surprised when they charged her $600 for a wiring test. She politely declined and went on her way.
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Although there’s no evidence to support this claim, it’s possible that one of the Firestone mechanics messed with her lights because they didn’t like her rejecting them. So, Chy-Niece was in for a surprise when she suddenly saw something in her rearview mirror.
Red And Blue Lights
During a job interview, it’s one thing to look the part, and it’s another to actually feel it. Aside from being appropriately dressed, one must feel confident and approachable, too. That was what Chy-Niece was feeling on that particular day.
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However, her confidence and good vibes faltered when she saw red and blue lights flashing in her rearview mirror. The morning was slowly taking a bad turn for Chy-Niece. If she was careless, she might not even be able to make it to that interview.
Calming Herself
Chy-Niece had no other choice but to pull over to the side. As the officer was approaching her vehicle, she quickly grabbed something in her glove compartment. This was just her luck. Just when she had somewhere important to go to, this had to happen.
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If she were to show up late to her interview, it would leave a very bad impression. She wasn’t even a tardy person to begin with. Her previously good mood was now sour and she didn’t have time for all this.
Talking To The Officer
She reached for her glove compartment and pulled out her registration for the officer to see. She wanted to get straight to the point in order to avoid wasting any more time. She was already losing time; she didn’t want to lose more.
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However, the officer did not care for her papers. He wanted to get directly to it. It was at that moment that the cop, Officer Jenkins, did something surprising and unforgettable. What did he do?
Common Practice
More often than not, if a driver has a broken brake light, no cop will take time out of their day to listen to their excuses. They’ll see it as the driver’s responsibility, get your license and registration, and then write a huge ticket.
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Rarely, if the officer is feeling kind, they might just write you a fix-it ticket and go about their day. It was safe to assume Officer Jenkins was going to be like any other cop and write Chy-Niece a huge ticket.
Explaining Her Situation
Chy-Niece tried to present her license and registration, but the cop told her to put them away. He informed her that she had been driving with, not one, but two broken headlights! This piece of information shocked Chy-Niece.
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Chy-Niece began telling Officer Jenkins about the situation in Firestone and getting the lights fixed. He looked aghast and asked her to pop open the trunk. Chy-Niece must have felt very nervous upon hearing this.
Opening The Trunk
She didn’t want to land on the local news for not listening to the officer’s instructions. She had nothing to hide anyway, so she popped open the trunk of her vehicle. Then Officer Jenkins began to circle Chy-Niece’s car.
Chy-Niece Thacker/Facebook
At this point, Chy-Niece was worried she’d never make it to her interview at all. She got out of her car and saw the cop was tinkering with something in her trunk. This was definitely part of a cop’s job description.
Mechanic Mode
Suddenly, Officer Jenkins went into mechanic mode and began checking out her brake lights. He inspected them closely and even tapped them a couple of times. Sadly, the lights did not work at all.
Chy-Niece Thacker/Facebook
Either Chy-Niece’s car was too old or she had been ripped off by the mechanics. The officer then asked Chy-Niece to pop open the hood this time. He then went on to check out the relay box in her hood.
What Happened Next?
Chy-Niece was in disbelief. She recalled during a FOX interview, “He could’ve easily given me a ticket, but Officer Jenkins stepped out of the officer role and into the mechanic role to make sure I was straight.”
Chy-Niece Thacker/Facebook
Despite the officer’s help, would she make it to her job interview on time? As for the car, it seems like there was not much Officer Jenkins could do, but it’s safe to assume Chy-Niece wasn’t given a ticket for it.
Luck Was On Her Side
As for the job interview, not only did Chy-Niece make it, she also aced it. She began her job at the University of Phoenix in 2017 as a correctional program support person. Although the day didn’t start too great, it managed to end on a nice note.
Chy-Niece Thacker/Facebook
Her day probably wouldn’t have ended as nicely if the officer hadn’t gone above and beyond the call of duty to help her out. Chy-Niece couldn’t easily forget the act of kindness the cop had done for her.
Thanking Officer Jenkins
When Chy-Niece got back home from the job interview, she had to let the world know how grateful she was for Officer Jenkins’ help. In this common day and age, she believed the best way to let the world know was through social media.
Chy-Niece Thacker/Facebook
She made a very heartfelt post talking about the events of that day. After all, it’s not every day that a cop, or a stranger, would go the extra mile for someone else simply because they wanted to.
Garnering Attention
So, Chy-Niece took her story to social media. She told the story in a very suspenseful way, making people think she was in trouble when she saw those red and blue lights flashing on her rearview mirror.
Henrico County Police/Facebook
However, by the time people were done reading her post, they found out how good of a person Officer Jenkins was. Chy-Niece received a lot of responses, but there was one particular post that caught a lot of attention.
Full Circle
It’s safe to say Chy-Niece’s post went viral and received a lot of shares and comments. People appreciated how he handled the situation. The Henrico County Police Department heard about the news and chimed in to thank Chy-Niece, too.
Henrico County Police/Facebook
They said, “Thank you Chy-Niece Thacker for sharing this about one of our officers. We are so proud of our officers, especially when we see citizens share things like this. Above and beyond the call of duty, Officer Jenkins. Service to our community is what it’s all about.”
Making The News
Nowadays, very rare are the headlines that feature police officers doing an act of kindness, but it’s probably because it’s also not as common as hate crimes. So, when Officer Jenkins’ act of kindness was reported, he definitely stood out. When the post went viral, big news networks like FOX and NBC even decided to feature this story.
WTVR
One commentator said, “Yes, there are some good ones out here. I got pulled over a couple of weeks ago for my tail lights being out, and he helped me figure it out. It turned out that it had a fuse blown. He told me to drive the rest of the way home with my hazard lights on!”
Good Cop, Bad Cop
Officer Jenkins is one of the few good cops out there amidst a sea of bad cops. We’re not wrong for being wary of cops, but we must not forget that some are there because they genuinely want to serve and protect people and the community.
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Another commentator said, “Actually, he gives all officers a good name…we have him but there are thousands more like him. The bad ones with attitudes overshadow the true professional officers like him. I do think Henrico has the best officers, though.”
Exploring Ideals
With Officer Jenkins’ story, people saw how good the world could be if things were a bit different. One person said, “I love a good cop cause I remember how nice it was to see them in the neighbourhood and the feeling of being safe and you could talk to them! If all the good cops would oust all the bad cops, then the police would again have our respect and admiration.”
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Another person said, “Good job, Officer Jenkins! You are a great representative for the law enforcement community, and the Lord is pleased with your righteous act of service. God bless you, sir, and may God protect you and your family.”
Where Are They Now?
It’s been a few years since this incident happened and people are wondering where they could be now. Well, Chy-Niece is no longer working at that job she interviewed for. Instead, she is working as a youth counsellor at UMFS, a nonprofit organization that helps high-risk children and families.
Chy-Niece Thacker/Facebook
Officer Jenkins is still a police officer protecting and serving the people of Henrico County, Virginia. We can only hope his compassion and kindness inspired other officers to act the same, especially in times like these where police brutality is more common.