A teenager with a significant police history got an unexpected late-night visit while spending the weekend in the Coquitlam RCMP jail.
Just after midnight, on the day he turned 15, the Staff Sergeant in charge of front line patrol walked into the young man’s jail cell and personally delivered a birthday cake.
The unusual celebration started when Staff Sergeant Paul Vadik made time to visit the young man in his cell and see how he was doing throughout the weekend. He spoke to the teenager about making good life choices and how to overcome some of his challenges.
This kid’s had a lot of struggle in his young life but kindness matters. Hopefully my big-brother-type talks with him will resonate, said Staff Sergeant Vadik. He was turning 15 overnight, so I went and bought him a cake and a card. It was important to let him know that somebody cared.
The gift went over really well and when the young man was released he was given the Staff Sergeant’s contact information.
Obviously this isn’t something we can do for everyone, but I want young people to understand that police aren’t their enemies, says Staff Sergeant Vadik. Any time that young guy wants to turn his life around, I’ll be ready.