“This job is so much more than catching bad guys.”

This photo of Police Officer James Hurst of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department in Georgia, holding a child in hospital goes viral.

The 16-month-old child was found wandering around outside when residents spotted him. Hurst, who was dispatched as a backup, escorted the toddler to the hospital, the press release noted. While there, the father of two saw that the child was sobbing. So he took matters into his own hands.

“I asked the hospital staff if I can hold him to comfort him and soothe him a little bit to try to calm him down, to continue getting medical care and they said that was fine,” he told WSAV.

“I just knew this child needed somebody to be there for him,” Hurst said. “It was just human instinct; humanity. The hospital staff was taking great care of him [but] he was sobbing and crying. I picked him up and within minutes he was asleep on my chest.”

“This job is so much more than catching bad guys,” the officer said. “We do what we need to do for the citizens. All the officers I work with … would do the exact same thing.”

The photo has been shared over 2900 times.

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30 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 18 May 2021
    11:02 am
What a beautiful photo. This is what the world needs more of.

- - ella12 said
  - 23 Aug 2016
    2:50 pm
That is lovely, very nice to see.

- - Deanalie said
  - 09 Jul 2016
    7:50 pm
And people always see the bad side of policing rarely do we get a glimpse of these moments he is a hero in my eyes

- - mom111362 said
  - 10 Jun 2016
    10:26 pm
naw a man in uniform with a small child

- - BellaB said
  - 31 May 2016
    11:30 am
But is the little boy okay? Back with his family?

- - mom67623 said
  - 25 May 2016
    7:40 am
gives good image to police who see a lot of awful stuff and it can harden them up. So this shows heart being touched and doing something lovely and ood for the soul. more good publicity please

- - deb_gs said
  - 24 May 2016
    8:13 pm
It is great that political correctness did not overtake the need for human touch, that the policeman was allowed to hug the child. I wonder what happened to the boy.

- - mom19782016 said
  - 24 May 2016
    5:11 pm
What a great guy. Makes you realise with all the bad news you hear in the world that there are lovely, caring people out there.

- - rovermum said
  - 23 May 2016
    9:14 am
This is a great example of humanity. What a wonderful and caring person, who is also obviously a great Policeman.

- - tessie said
  - 21 May 2016
    12:31 pm
Finally some good things being portrayed about police officers. I’d like to think he’s doing what any human being would. Cudos to you sir

- - june11 said
  - 20 May 2016
    1:38 am
He used his fatherly instinct and gave this little one so much comfort. It makes it more comfortable for a child when treatment is being given and much easier for the medical staff too. They hate having to try to restrain a child to give treatment. They wouldn’t know how long the little toddler had been outside exposed to the weather either. The fact that the toddler fell asleep in his arms showed was what he needed most. A cuddle and a soothing voice can make the world of difference to child’s distress.

- - cherz said
  - 19 May 2016
    9:18 pm
This story gets a 10 out of 10 from me.
Love reading stories of wonderful caring folk and this guy is one of the best.
Do hope and pray the little one gets further love help and support.

- - robyn_smithwick said
  - 19 May 2016
    7:10 pm
What a lovely human being.

- - rachelvk said
  - 19 May 2016
    12:22 pm
What an amazingly kind gesture. That little one would have no doubt felt much safer.

- - mom160421 said
  - 19 May 2016
    9:27 am
What a wonderful thing to do. I always praise the police for the job they do.

- - mom81879 said
  - 19 May 2016
    9:03 am
I hope they found the little guys family, or someone to care for him. There are so many bad stories about American police officers and African/American people. It’s nice to see this one is not only caring for a child, but an African/American child. Makes you think there’s hope out there for us all to be better people

- - mom172741 said
  - 19 May 2016
    8:57 am
Nice story. Hope the toddler continues to get the cuddles they need

- - mom134803 said
  - 19 May 2016
    7:58 am
Beautiful indeed ! The fact that this is seen as something what is special should be a warning to us never to forget about our hearts…

- - mum4107 said
  - 19 May 2016
    6:22 am
That is beautiful. What a good man

- - Lori-Anne said
  - 19 May 2016
    5:03 am
Awesome. What a wonderful thing to do. ♡