A Wisconsin cop is earning praise for coming to the rescue of a little boy who was not picked up at school by a parent or guardian on Monday.
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Officer Darryl Robinson of the Green Bay Police Department responded to Howe Elementary School after receiving a phone call that no parent or guardian came to get the boy. Even worse? It was the child’s 8th birthday.
According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, the boy’s mother is incarcerated, though additional information about that situation and why no one showed up to get him wasn’t provided.
Yesterday Officer Robinson responded to a local elementary school for a child that was not picked up at the end of the…
Posted by Green Bay Police Department on Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Rather than simply taking the child to the station, Robinson — who recognized the boy due to past interactions with the family — went above and beyond the call of duty and took him for a meal at McDonald’s.
He also took him for a ride in his police car to celebrate his birthday.
“It seemed like he was in good spirits. He was playing around. He was excited. It was his birthday,” Robinson said during a press conference on Wednesday. “I brought him to McDonald’s, got him a sandwich. He loved playing with the toy in his Happy Meal.”
Eventually, the cop located family members and dropped the boy off, though WBAY-TV reported that the officer reached the boy’s grandfather and asked for permission before taking the child to McDonald’s. Either way, Robinson’s act was awesome.
The Green Bay Police Department chose to praise the officer afterward for taking the time to celebrate the child’s birthday.
Darryl Robinson press conference
Posted by Green Bay Police Department on Wednesday, October 25, 2017
“Thank you to community partners, like McDonald’s, that allow us to help out others in small ways during our interactions throughout the shifts,” a post on the department’s page read. “Thank you to Officer Robinson for taking some extra time to celebrate the child’s birthday; we are proud to have him as part of the GBPD team!”
Robinson said that he’s been shocked by the reaction to his kind deed and that, though he’s “not one for the spotlight,” he’s happy to see that the story has inspired so many positive comments from the public.
One person even reached out and asked if she could buy gifts for the little boy and have them delivered.
What’s perhaps most interesting about the story is that Robinson had a similar experience when he was a child, as former Green Bay Police Captain Bill Bongle took interest in him and helped inspire him to become an officer.
In fact, he said his own interaction with the little boy this week brought back memories from his childhood.
“Bongle was there in my neighborhood and he’d bring me to the gas station and we would get candy or whatever. I think I met him on one of my birthdays when I was younger and he was, he always came around,” he said. “If I needed someone to talk to or anything he was always there, helping me out. And he’s the reason I wanted to go in law enforcement. I wanted the opportunity to do for another kid that he did for me.”