Police officer's surprising act after pulling over mum with three children
A Wisconsin police officer is receiving plenty of praise for the way he reacted after pulling over a mother and her three children.
Milwaukee Police Department officer Kevin Zimmermann was on patrol earlier this month when he pulled over Andrella Jackson, who was driving with improper registration, WITI-TV reported.
Zimmermann soon realised something that concerned him more though.
"I see three kids in the backseat and two are very young," the police officer told WITI-TV.
"I didn't observe any child restraints or even seat belts and I asked why the kids aren't in car seats. She said she can't afford them at this time."
Ms Jackson told the officer she had just purchased the car at an auction and had not had a chance to register it yet.
As for the car seats, the mum mentioned she had other financial concerns too.
"With bills coming up and winter coming up, I've got to get coats and boots and shoes and stuff, so it was kind of hard for me," Ms Jackson told WITI-TV.
Officer Zimmerman immediately felt sympathy for the woman. The situation convinced him to let Ms Jackson off without a ticket and send her away with a surprising gift.
"I'm a father myself, I have three kids," he told WTMJ-TV.
"I thought of my kids jumping around. What if a car hit them and they flew and got seriously hurt, if not killed?"
The officer drove to Walmart, where he spent US$75 (AU$110) of his own money on car seats for the two smaller children.
He even returned to the scene afterward to help Ms Jackson install them.
"I got these for you and your kids so your kids can be safe and you don’t have to worry about at least this part of the situation you’re in," Officer Zimmermann said he told Ms Jackson, according to WTMJ-TV.
"She kept saying thank you and the kids kept saying thank you."
Ms Jackson continued to show her gratitude in the following days, even posting photos of Officer Zimmerman's gifts to Facebook.
"My girls couldn't stop thinking about him and it made them smile," her post read.
"Shoutout to Officer Zimmerman."
The Milwaukee Police Department weighed in on its officer's generosity too.
The department shared Ms Jackson's photos on its own Facebook page, along with a recap of the encounter.
"Thank you Officer Zimmerman for going the extra mile and going above and beyond your call of duty," the department's post read.
The police officer remained humble through all of the praise though.
"I didn’t do this to be praised or ‘atta boy’ or anything like that," he told to WKYT.
"I did it because I’m a parent and I want nothing to happen to these kids."
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