When an elderly woman locked herself out of her house on July 17, a Texas police officer knew immediately who to call: 9-year-old Junior Officer Lincoln Dobson.
With a “servant’s heart” and a body small enough to fit through a doggy door, little Lincoln made quick work of what would have taken any adult much longer: getting the woman back into her home in the city of Groesbeck.
“That day, the police chief called me and stated there’s a situation where he thought he could use Lincoln,” said Mr. Dobson, who works as a peace officer. “I asked Lincoln if he‘d come and help, and he’s like, ’Of course!' He jumped right up.”
The young boy’s actions might have been unique for both the residents and the local police department, but this is also part of a positive movement that Groesbeck Police Chief Chris Henson has started.
“Whenever the police chief sees children, he always interacts and talks with them and tries to be a role model,“ Mr. Dobson said. ”And he'll give them a little sticker that he puts on their shirt, and he tells them to go and do great things—do good things for people.”
Lincoln has taken that to heart, said the proud dad, as climbing through a doggy door to help a lady into her house is not the first thing he’s done to help others in need.
His willingness, first of all, is what made the police chief think of Lincoln when they first found out that an elderly woman was locked out of her house; his size certainly helped too.
Mr. Dobson said that, right away, Lincoln was willing to help if he could. When they arrived at the woman’s home, the officer put a badge on Lincoln and set him to work.
Though he was better suited to the job than any other officers available, it was still a challenge for him, especially with a large doodle mix dog on the other side of the pet door. Luckily, the dog came out of the doggy door first.
Lincoln pet the dog on the nose before springing into action. His shoulders were a bit too large to fit through, so he had to contort his body to make it.
“It was hard to get in,” Lincoln said, adding that he had to squeeze himself through.
After getting in, he went straight to the door and unlocked it.
Mr. Dobson said that the elderly woman was “super grateful” because she didn’t have access to her phone, her keys, or her garage door opener as everything was inside, and her family was in Port Aransas on vacation.
“She offered him a Dr. Pepper, but Lincoln said he had some water,” said the dad.
For Lincoln, he said that helping out his neighbor felt “amazing,” making him feel so happy. He also plans to become a police officer one day.
When asked why he wanted to join the police force, his motive was simple and selfless:
“So I can help more people,” he said.
The brave junior officer aspires to hold tight to his servant’s heart and follow his parent’s advice to be good and kind to everyone.
