The New York City Police Department has had a rough go of it the past several years.
The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio has always been hostile toward the police, but that hostility only seemed to grow after de Blasio’s daughter was arrested and charged with unlawful assembly for blocking traffic during a May 2020 protest.
Little more than a month afterward, de Blasio shifted $1 billion away from the NYPD — an action he somewhat reversed after the city’s crime rates began to increase drastically.
All in all, it’s not a great time to be a police officer in New York.
However, through selfless service and action, the NYPD sometimes reminds us why they are such a pillar of New York life in the first place, and why it’s important to keep them as such.
For instance, last week, an ill traveler at a subway station in the Bronx fell unconscious onto the tracks, and an NYPD officer, who already was on the scene, immediately responded.
With the help of a nearby Good Samaritan, he jumped down onto the tracks, picked up the sick man and carried him to safety just seconds before a train pulled into the station.
The driver deserves recognition as well for not just rolling through the station absentmindedly, as I’m sure is temping to do with a monotonous job.
The victim, a 60-year-old man from Queens, apparently got dizzy, police said, and was taken to a hospital conscious and alert, according to the New York Post.
NYPD cops help New Yorkers at any cost!
When a sick strap hanger lost consciousness and fell on the subway tracks in the Bronx, @NYPDTransit officers didn’t hesitate for a moment to put his safety ahead of their own. We’re also grateful to the Good Samaritan who bravely helped. pic.twitter.com/m0kmylDUJJ
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) August 19, 2021
“We just did what we were there to do, which is to help and serve the public,” the rescuing officer, Ludin Lopez, told the Post. “We were doing a station inspection. It was just right place, right time.”
While, as with any post about police officers, there was some whining and complaining from Twitter progressives, the vast majority of responses were appreciative toward the officers.
One person noted the satisfaction of seeing cops and other community members work together and not having it be a “thing”:
Loved this image of New Yorkers & NYPD working together to help another fellow ??
— My Green Taxi (@Reynoso626) August 19, 2021
Another commenter claimed to be the sick passenger’s brother, though this is difficult to verify.
He thanked God that the police and bystanders were there and ready to help, and he sent love from his whole family to everybody involved.
Ty everyone that sent a kind text or call to check on my bro I appreciate you I must acknowledge the true heroes or guardian angels that save my bro life god sent them that day to over see his plans and that was to save a life keep a world in a world happy which is my family?? ty
— Jerome (@j48branch) August 20, 2021
All in all, this goes to show that perhaps not all is lost in blue cities. Even with the turmoil and trepidation of the past couple of years, there clearly is at least some residual love between communities and law enforcement.
With de Blasio close to leaving office, there is an unparalleled opportunity to rebuild relationships. Hopefully, New York can continue this positive trend.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.