On Thursday, July 20, 2017 at about 8:30 a.m., the on-duty Watch Commander received a call from a citizen. The citizen wanted to express how grateful he was to Officer Pratt for his action the previous day.
He said that he had been released from the downtown Kern County Jail facility, located at 1415 Truxtun Avenue, with hardly any clothing and no shoes in the 100+ degree heat. He said Officer Pratt saw him walking and stopped to offer him assistance. He said Officer Pratt provided him with money for food and a ride to the Amtrak station where Officer Pratt called his friends to arrange a ride for him back to another city. He said, “Officer Pratt saved my life” and wanted Officer Pratt to be recognized for his actions.
It should be noted that Officer Pratt never made mention of this circumstance to his supervisor or looked for any way to be recognized for what he had done. Had the citizen not called the on-duty Watch Commander this act of kindness would have gone unnoticed by the Police Department staff.
Without Officer Pratt, he would have likely not had such a simple resolution to his extremely difficult situation. Officer Pratt is commended for his self-initiated actions and exemplary performance of his duties. This circumstance should stand as an example for all law enforcement personnel as a model of excellence in action.
For his actions, Officer Charles Pratt is awarded a Division Commander’s Commendation.
A Division Commander’s Commendation is traditionally issued for exemplary work of investigative tenacity or valor in a lifesaving situation. There are those circumstances that do not specifically fit into the traditional categories, yet rise to the level of recognition.
An officer who chooses to do something simply because it’s the right thing to do for another person exemplifies an action that is worthy of recognition.
An act of this nature is something each of us would surely hope would be done for our own loved ones in a difficult time. The word “compassion” should be added to the above list as this example exemplifies what it really means.
