Employees across industries meet different kinds of people day in and day out.
Some interesting, some kind, some rude, and some simply questionable. That’s why their ability to remain polite and courteous despite off-putting behavior from customers is both admirable and impressive.
While their training equips them with the right skills for customer relations, they’re also quite perceptive and know how to act quickly when emergency situations arise.
Like this gas station employee from Monroe County, Sweetwater, Tennessee.
Police got a call from the gas station at around 1 AM right after the employee found a note in the bathroom which read:
“Police… Tell room 218. I need help. He broke my cell phone.”
Sgt. Kevin Franco and another officer who responded to the call had to quickly visit nearby hotels to locate the person who wrote the note.
Finally, they were able to find a man, woman, and child inside room 218 of one of the hotels.
It was the woman who wrote the note and according to police, she reported that her boyfriend had beaten her several times.
Sgt. Franco shares,
“Her nose was bloody, bruising on her chin, bruising on the top of her head. You can tell she had been a victim of some type of assault.”
While it’s easy for people to commend the woman for finding ways to seek help, one must also look at things from another perspective: that it could possibly be a trap for police officers, too.
After all, domestic violence cases have endangered the lives of police officers countless times. In fact, Sgt. Franco also points out that each call involving domestic violence is handled with extreme caution, with officers never responding to it alone. The police officer adds,
“We didn’t know if he was armed or if he was the one who put the note there. We never go to a domestic violence call alone, because that’s how dangerous it is.”
Fortunately, the woman was saved from further abuse, thanks to her note.
Not to mention the employee’s quick actions and the police officers’ hasty response.
Domestic violence isn’t always easy to spot. It isn’t always about visible marks on the body. The abuse transcends to sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions, too.
One sign of domestic abuse is when a person begins to feel intimidated, terrorized, or frightened by a partner. It’s a pattern of abusive behavior that allows the abuser to feel in total control.
Anyone can be a victim.
While the employee’s actions and the officers’ response brought much relief, it’s heartbreaking to know that many victims are unable to get help in time.
If you know anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse, don’t hesitate to notify the authorities.
The sooner abusers are held accountable, the sooner the victims can be on their way to healing.
Kudos to the ones who go above and beyond to answer cries for help and take steps to make life better for those who are suffering.
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