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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