Paula Peterson
Users of Facebook this weekend might have caught a photo of a South Lake Tahoe Police car parked in the yellow loading zone at Raley’s. The person who posted the photo attached the comment, “SLT police are above the law. (And no, there was no emergency, I saw her shopping in the ice cream isle [sic]).”
Yes, the officer was getting ice cream, but the real story needs to be told.
An 11-year-old local girl just went through something most children shouldn’t have to experience. Officer Chavez had heard about it and wanted to do something special for the child. It was a holiday weekend and officers in town had been out on several calls. Knowing she could be called at any moment, but still wanting to buy something for the young girl, Officer Chavez pulled into Raley’s to grab a greeting card and some ice cream to deliver. She used the loading zone for two reasons. She might called out to an incident, and she didn’t want to take a parking place from someone else since her trip inside would be a quick one.
The following is part of what officer Chavez wrote on the child’s card she purchased:
“Remember, life is full of ups and downs. Find ways to make the hard times shape and strengthen your heart. Don’t let the bad or hard things that come about in your life define who you are. Always choose to adapt, overcome and find positives. Your battles in life will only make you stronger should you choose that path. The path will always be there, it can just be tough to find sometimes.”
The public outlash has been far reaching, prompting people to call the police department to complain.
When Sgt. Travis Cabral talked with other officers the next day about what Chavez had done, he said there was a random act of kindness theme in the discussion.
“Last week I bought a guy who forgot his wallet a bottle of water,” was one comment. “A couple months ago, I bought a deaf family groceries when they didn’t have enough money to cover their bill,” said another. And the room filled with like comments.
“I found out very quickly that these acts of kindness happen more than we think,” said Sgt. Cabral. “We all have done them. It’s just what we do, we are public servants with a heart for our community.”
Officers like Chavez and the others in South Lake Tahoe are role models for our youth and an inspiration to the rest of us.