An OPP officer is gaining some positive recognition after photos of him pushing a van to a gas station east of London went viral.
Sergeant Glen Sedden was on the lookout for distracted drivers when he came across a mother and daughter in a van that had run out of fuel on Dundas St., near Nissouri Rd on Monday. Without hesitation, Sedden pulled over to offer his assistance.
"Sergeant Sedden observed the driver trying to fill up the gas tank with a substandard container that was leaking all over the place. He looked, realized the gas pumps were only 70 or 80 metres away and decided he would ask the lady to get inside the vehicle and he would just push it the whole distance into the gas station," said Inspector Tony Cristilli, OPP detachment commander.
The good deed was caught on camera by Kary Pellow, who posted three images of Sedden pushing the van, along with her praise, on Facebook.
"We do have GOOD police officers people!... he deserves recognition!" wrote Pellow, who was working at a nearby restaurant at the time and offered to buy Sedden breakfast. Instead, the officer opted for only a cup of coffee for his trouble.
Pellow's post got over 5,000 likes and was shared more than 2,400 times on Facebook as of Wednesday.
It was Sedden himself who drew Cristilli's attention to the post, not for accolades, but rather to tell him he wasn't wearing a key piece of his uniform.
"Sheepishly, he said he wanted to give me the heads up that he wasn't wearing his hat. So we all got a chuckle out of that," said Cristilli.
The social media post proved to be a morale booster for the detachment, where officers aren't necessarily recognized for their day-to-day actions.
"Our officers are human, just like anyone else. They're out there just trying to do the best that they can serving the public," said Cristilli. "When we see these images and the great comments from the community members, we're so proud to put on the uniform everyday."
Cristilli plans to buy Pellow breakfast Thursday as a way of thanking her for shining a positive light on the force.
