Going above and beyond the call of duty, a group of Tempe police officers is being recognized for turning a curfew violation into a moment of inspiration for a Valley teen.
In a photograph, Tyler looks like any other 13-year-old boy who loves to skateboard.
But what you wouldn’t expect is to see him proudly posing with his skateboard in front of a Tempe Police car.
“It was awesome, you could really see how shocked he was,” Officer Brett Sauer said. “He had never received a gift quite like that.”
The brand new skateboard is a gift given to him by Sauer and several other officers who first found Tyler hanging out past curfew, at the 3rd St. and Mill Avenue light rail station.
It was around 2:30 a.m. when Tempe Police received a call about some kids fooling around on the tracks.
Tyler was one of the teens officers brought back to their houses to speak with their parents. That’s when the officers realized the young man could use a little help.
“We all chipped in collectively and gave the kid a skateboard,” Sauer said. “The skateboard that the kid had had been broken, it was all chipped up, and just mangled.”
So at 6 a.m., the officers surprised Tyler with his present, reported KTVK.
Sauer says, the look on his face was priceless, as he saw the same officers from the other night at his door, and for a good reason instead of a bad one.
“He was just speechless,” Sauer said. “He was dumbfounded.”
Sauer says, it was Tyler’s respectful personality that inspired them to go beyond the call of duty, but the officers hope they too have inspired him to do good for others – a lesson far more valuable than any curfew violation.
“You look back on people’s lives you’ve changed and helped out, that’s what makes this job worth it to me,” Sauer said.
Tyler even showed the officers how to do some tricks on his new skateboard. It’s a moment they won’t soon forget.
