WALDORF, Md. – Those were M/Sgt. Kevin Keelan’s words when asked about an incident which took place last week outside of the Hampshire Community Center. Some of you may have seen a post that gained some popularity when a local mother reached out on a Charles County social media page. Her daughter, 19-year-old Amari, had had a tough day, and was sitting in her car outside of the center when an officer “saw her crying and stayed out there with her because it was dark. He talked to her for a little while to distract her so that she was able to get her self together to drive and made sure that she got home safely.” The social post quickly got the attention of citizens, who worked together to find out who the kind officer was.
M/Sgt. Keelan, who is a 25 year veteran of CCSO, said that he pulled up and saw the vehicle parked. He works in that neighborhood regularly and knew it was out of place, so he approached to see if everything was OK. When he saw that the young female driver was crying, he knelt down outside of the car and talked with her for a bit. A father himself, he knew that she just needed a listening ear and some words of encouragement. He learned that Amari is trying to find a job to help contribute to the household income. Her dream is to work at an animal shelter or somewhere she can help animals.
M/Sgt. Keelan, who is not looking for any kind of attention, said to Amari’s mother, Leticia, that he was grateful that she took the time to share this story. “Police officers everywhere, from coast to coast, do things like this every day that people never know about. Sharing these stories builds a bridge and starts positive conversations.”
An unlikely friendship formed between Amari and M/Sgt. Keelan. They both showed strength and compassion, which is what community policing is all about.
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