Florida Boy Dials 911 to Give Police Officer a Hug: 'We Deeply Appreciate the Genuine Kindness'
"What an innocent little soul!" one person commented on the sheriff's office Facebook video
A police officer who responded to a 911 call at a Florida home is going viral for a sweet moment that was captured on camera.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shared bodycam footage on their Facebook account on Thursday of Deputy Scott Pracht being dispatched to a residence.
In the video, Pracht knocks on the door of a home as a woman appears from the backyard saying she’d been walking her dog.
“Hello, is this your home?” he asks.
After informing him that she does live there, he asks if everything is okay.
She assures him that she’s fine and he informs her that a 911 call was received from her address.
"We can talk to my son," the mother tells Pracht while opening the front door and calling for her child to join them out front.
While waiting, the woman and the deputy establish that the kid has a “disconnected cell phone,” which is still capable of making emergency calls even if it can’t dial out to other contacts.
“He honestly doesn’t even know what 911 is,” the boy’s mother adds as he makes his way to them.
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Pracht states that it’s “not a problem” for him to explain 911 to the child.
The young boy skips towards his mother and the deputy before he’s questioned about his doings.
“Did you call this gentleman?” his mom asks, pointing to the law enforcement official. “Did you call the police?”
The little boy responds, “Well, I wanted to give him a hug.” Pracht is heard chuckling at the uncommon request.
As she checks her child’s phone, the boy runs out of the house and wraps his arms around the officer, who hugs him back.
The child, happy to possibly have made a new friend, adds, "I know what's your phone number — 9-1-1.”
“Yeah, but do you know what that’s for? It’s if you’re in trouble, and you need help, or if somebody you know is around you and that’s in trouble and needs help. It’s very important. You gotta be careful when you call that number, okay?” Pracht explained.
The deputy then gave examples for the child, such as if his mom needed help or if someone was doing something they weren’t supposed to do.
After being told by his mother to apologize, Pracht extended his arm to give the kid a fist bump.
“How dang sweet is that! What an innocent little soul!!!!” one user commented on the Facebook post.
The video has already racked up 14,000 views since being uploaded on Thursday.
“We deeply appreciate the genuine kindness shown by this young child. Our deputies are more than willing to share a hug and spread love to children in our community. However, it’s essential for everyone to remember that 911 is a lifeline for emergencies,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement, per WFLA 8. “We are here to help, and we encourage parents and educators to teach children about the appropriate use of emergency services.”
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