With mass protests against the police in our country, police officers are going above and beyond to keep doing their jobs despite everything.
Two Carroll County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were watching a 13-year-old boy play basketball and do push-ups in his yard decided to go ahead and have a conversation with him.
Patrick Hume and Jeff Attison, part of the traffic unit, got to know that Ryan Milhouse wanted to join the Bay Springs Middle School basketball team and, was training hard to do so. He would “push himself to do the best he can” and do 10 push-ups every time the ball would hit his foot while practicing his dribbling skills, according to the sheriff’s office in a Facebook post.
A photo of the deputies and Ryan was captured by Lauren Milhouse, his mother, which has gone viral and has been liked thousands of times. “I had never experienced anything like that before. It was very touching and heartwarming just to see the support from men in general,” explained Lauren.
What made the interaction interesting was that the two deputies decided to get in on his challenge and every time a foot was hit they too did ten push-ups alongside Ryan. The 13-year-old added that he got some training tips from them, “They told me to make sure that I look forward when I dribble and to stay focused,” Ryan said. “He has a true warriors spirit and has warmed all our hearts this evening,” the sheriff’s office said.
What the deputies did for them meant the world to them said the mother-son duo. “The ‘bad rep’ that cops have in general right now is not all that it seems and there are just really good and genuine people out there,” said Lauren.
Deputy Hume and Attison shared this message about meeting the teen: “We have been patrolling and serving the Carroll County citizens for many years and one of our favorite things to do is interact with the public in positive ways. It’s amazing the things you learn from people when you take the time to invest in them not just be there in their time of need or on a traffic stop. Stopping and meeting Ryan was and will remain a huge highlight for us! What an amazing kid and it serves as a reminder that relationships can be formed no matter the age, race, or reason. We are humbled by the story and we hope everyone can see how beneficial community policing can be!”