First he made sure they were safe, then this police officer lay down to play dolls with these girls

The primary responsibility of a police officer is to protect people and property. But one Virginia cop is willing to go beyond these duties – even if it involved something that he wasn’t trained to do.

On Valentine’s day, South Hill Police Cpl. C.B. Fleming responded to a gas leak report at an apartment complex. The leak turned out to be a false alarm and everyone was deemed safe.

But instead of heading out after securing the area, Fleming did something out of the ordinary – he laid on the ground and started playing dolls with the neighborhood children.

He colored with the boys outside the complex and even played dolls with the girls.

Iesha Roper-Boswell – mother of one of the girls involved – captured the sweet moment on video and uploaded it on her Facebook page.

As expected, the post became an immediate hit, and the kind officer received a lot of positive messages from people who watched the clip.

The officer felt humbled by all the love upon learning of the viral post. He commented:

“Y’all give me more credit than I deserve but I do appreciate the love. Plus who doesn’t like playing and coloring with kids?!? It’s probably my favorite thing to do. They were so kind to me and I’m so thankful they allowed me to play with them today”

“I was telling him that my daughter, my niece, and some of the other children here were afraid of cops,” Roper-Boswell told CNN affiliate WTVR. “So when he came and played with them, I captured that moment, not because I thought it would go viral, but it was amazing that my niece didn’t break out into tears.”

Officer Fleming played games with the children to make sure that they felt safe.

“When I got into this job, I knew there was something different, other than just writing tickets and being the bad person all the time,” he said. “I figured if I could be that bright spot in someone’s day then that’s all that mattered.”

Through his interactions playing dolls with them, the children came to view Officer Fleming as their own “superhero”.

The 42-year old cop – who will be celebrating his 15th year in the force – has always been good with children.

“He’s awesome. That’s the only word you can really use to describe C.B.,” Roper-Boswell said. “It’s just amazing, the bond he has with the children.”

Officer Fleming hopes that his actions, and those of his fellow police officers, will inspire a change in the relationship between the police and the community.

“We had a lot of calls here when I first started,” Fleming said. “I figured if I could let them know that I was an anchor point, that they could come and talk to me and trust me, then I could do some good.

He also wants everyone – not just the kids – to know that they can come to him in times of trouble.

America is truly in need of more police officers like C.B. Fleming! Just like him, we are wishing for a better relationship between the community and law enforcement officers – a connection that is rid of hostility and distrust and one that is filled with mutual respect.

Watch the video below from WTVR CBS 6 News to learn more about C.B. Fleming’s kind act.

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