A Maryland woman with a one-year-old daughter had simply been sitting in a lobby, minding her own business when a cop came up and started questioning her. She wasn’t doing anything, except for waiting in a seat while holding her child and not drawing the attention of a single person who passed her by. But what this particular officer saw at her feet didn’t sit well with him, so he did something about it that left other people stunned.
Not long before the unnamed mother was found by Prince George’s County Police Corporal Che’ Atkinson, she had been in the midst of an abusive situation with someone she was in a relationship with. Feeling scared for her and her daughter’s lives, she packed up whatever she could grab and fled the home, not knowing where she would go.
The mother was desperate and now homeless, so she showed up to the first place she could think of, where she knew she would be safe — the Prince George’s County Police department in Hyattsville. With her belongings in bags around her, she and her small daughter camped out in the lobby, but never did they expect the scenario this officer would put them in.
Nobody else had questioned her purpose for being there until Corporal Atkinson crossed the lobby and questioned her. That’s when she proceeded to explain what she had endured up to that point. In a moment of desperation, they had nowhere to go but the police department, and Atkinson saw an opportunity and took it.
According to a Facebook post uploaded to the county’s police department page, Atkinson didn’t want the mom to be alone, so he searched for relatives who could help her out. He was able to locate someone who agreed to pick the woman and child up and assumed his work there was done. But it was far from over.
The Facebook posts stated:
“One of our District I patrol officers has reinforced the PGPD’s pledge to not only protect citizens, but serve them as well. On Wednesday morning, around 8:00 am, Corporal Che’ Atkinson noticed a woman sitting in the lobby of our District I station in Hyattsville. She had a small child with her and several bags. The woman told the corporal she was doing okay, yet the situation still bothered Corporal Atkinson. He continued to talk to the woman who soon told the officer she was a victim of domestic violence and had recently become homeless. She had come to the police station because she had nowhere else to go. Corporal Atkinson immediately set out to get the woman and her one-year-old daughter assistance from local resources. He was also able to find a distant relative who planned to pick up the woman and child.
On Thursday morning, Corporal Atkinson was surprised to see them still sitting in the station lobby. It turned out the family members wouldn’t be able to pick up the mother and daughter until Friday. He also learned the two hadn’t eaten in days. With his own money, Corporal Atkinson rented the woman and her child a hotel room. He found a child car seat and put it in his cruiser in order to safely transport the little girl to the hotel. He also bought them food and drinks. We wish this mother and daughter well in the future.”
The following morning, on Thursday, Atkinson arrived to work and was shocked to see the homeless mother still at the station. As it turned out, the relative he found for them was distant and couldn’t pick them up until Friday. They had nowhere to go until then, and to make matters more tragic, he learned that it had been days since the little girl and her mom had eaten anything. The cop couldn’t stand the thought of these two starving and sleeping in the lobby for a second night, so he put his money where his heart was.
“With his own money, Corporal Atkinson rented the woman and her child a hotel room,” the Facebook post explained of the caring cop, who went above and beyond the call of duty. Then, he took his thoughtful tasks a step further. “He found a child car seat and put it in his cruiser in order to safely transport the little girl to the hotel. He also bought them food and drinks,” the description of the kind deed continued.
Behind this Corporal’s badge is a huge heart. He saw a need and fixed it, beyond what anyone would expect a public servant to do. Whether he was in uniform or not, he likely would have helped no matter what because he cares for the people in his community.
