Most people don’t want to be stopped by police. For some people, it can be a terrifying experience. But when Officer Kirk Keffer saw Jourdan Duncan walking alone late at night, neither of them could have known that this was the start of a beautiful friendship.
Duncan was walking home after a late-night shift at the factory he had been working at since graduating high school.
The 19-year old had been working really hard to achieve his dreams. When Officer Keffer offered to give him a ride home, a lot started to change for him.
The officer said he knew something was up as soon as he saw the young man.
“It kinda caught me off guard, cause I normally don’t see anybody out there.” He tells CBS Sunday Morning. “There’s no sidewalks, and he was kinda just walking on the side of the street…it wasn’t right.”
Understandably, Jordan Duncan was on edge by a cop car approaching him.
Duncan instantly felt that he needed to make it clear that he was not doing anything wrong. With the officer nearing, Duncan made a point to stand still, and explain that he was simply walking home from work.
Fortunately, Officer Keffer was open to listening. He also knew that walking in that area at night wasn’t a great idea, so he offered to give Duncan a ride home.
While driving Duncan home, Officer Keffer made it a point to learn about his life.
One major thing that Officer Keffer learned was that Duncan’s walk home from work is truly no walk in the park. It’s actually a 7-mile distance from Benecia, California, to the neighboring town of Vallejo.
While they were talking, Jordan Duncan also explained to Keffer that he used to drive to work. A few months prior to their meeting, his car had broken down. Since that he had been walking the 7-mile distance to work and back.
Although people had offered him rides, he turned them down, wanting to feel self-sufficient.
Officer Keffer was impressed by his work ethic but felt he shouldn’t be walking so far.
Jourdan’s dedication to walking 5 hours every day for work surpasses most people’s work ethic. Understandably, Keffer was shocked and impressed. He says:
“Not many 18 year old’s that you meet, have that kind of mindset.”
Jourdan’s story touched Keffer so much that he wanted to do something positive for the young man who was working so hard.
After their car ride, Keffer convinced the Police Union to work together to help Jourdan.
One day, Officer Keffer and a group of other police officers showed up unannounced at Duncan’s door. Duncan recognized him of course but wasn’t sure what so many officers were doing at his house.
That’s when they revealed that they had all bought him a bike to help make his work commute easier. But Keffer didn’t stop there.
In addition to the brand-new bike, Officer Keffer also started a GoFundMe that raised $42,000 for Duncan to go towards buying a new car.
The money also would be helpful for Jourdan Duncan to work towards his true career ambition.
Coincidentally, Jourdan had long wanted to be a cop.
Knowing that Jourdan wanted to learn more about the profession, Officer Keffer took it one step further and invited the young man on a ride-along.
Keffer was proud to share this part of his life with the teen.
This one-chance encounter changed both men’s lives for the better.
With the money from the community GoFundMe, Jourdan was able to buy a car. But although he could have bought some pretty high-end models, he kept it pretty humble.
He bought a $2,900 Volkswagon Passat from 2003. By saving that extra cash, he was able to enroll in the local community college and plans to transfer to a 4-year university in the future.
As for Officer Keffer, he got to meet and mentor someone. Now he recalls his relationship with Jourdan fondly and is nothing but proud of all he will accomplish in life.
From a strange first meeting, the officer and Jourdan have formed a beautiful friendship.
Watch the video below to learn more on this inspiring friendship!
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