The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Officer goes extra mile to serve community
To protect and to serve is the motto adopted by many law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
And one Euclid Police officer has taken that motto to heart when it comes to the residents in Euclid.
Officer James Aoki was responding to a June 30 call from an elderly resident who reported that the metal wheelchair ramp at her home had been stolen.
The following morning, Aoki and a family member who lives near the house built a temporary wheelchair ramp for the resident.
The resident told the officer that she would be moving shortly to a different house, but that didn’t deter him because she still needed to be able to get in and out of her current place for doctors’ appointments.
“It’s pretty low for people to steal a wheelchair ramp,” Aoki said.
This is not the first time Aoki has reached out to help. Sgt. Jeff Cutwright and Lt. Mitch Houser both recall the time Aoki fixed a door for another resident.
“This is exactly the kind of community caretaking we’ve come to expect from Officer Aoki during his four years with the EPD,” Houser said.
“... James was recently canvassing the area of a shooting looking for witnesses. He met a lady that
was afraid to leave her house because her door was broken and couldn’t be locked. The very next day, James went back to the house and repaired her door.”
Aoki described her as a really nice lady who was worried that the lock on her garage door was broken and she didn’t know if someone was inside it or not.
“We cleared it and he wasn’t in there and I told her I would come back and fix it,” Aoki said.
The woman told him her
son had tried to fix it but it didn’t work that well.
“So I went back and put a new latch and striker plate on it. It only took me 10 minutes,” he recalled. “My boss told me it was not an all-day project so he was OK with it.”
When asked what inspired him to take on these repairs, Aoki id he didn’t think it was that big of a deal and replied the projects were simple fixes that required little effort.
“It makes her happy that she has an operating door that is functioning properly
and she doesn’t have to close it with a wedge of cardboard,” Aoki said. “It took me all of 10 minutes to fix it so she can actually lock and secure her garage. She doesn’t have to worry if someone is in her garage or not or if someone can go in and steal mowers or anything else.”
Houser described Aoki as a dedicated, conscientious person who is a tremendous asset for the city.
“It is a genuine pleasure to have him as a member of the Euclid Police Department,” he said.
“This is exactly the kind of community caretaking we’ve come to expect from Officer Aoki during his four years with the EPD.” Lt. Mitch Houser