Page 46 - FOP Magazine August 2020

7th District turns tragic accident into posi- tive experience for 4-year-old girl
n BY KAREN STAHL
Sergeant Renee Whittingham arrived at the scene of a heart-
breaking accident in the 7th District on May 17 to see a 4-year- old girl lying on the ground next to an apartment building, after falling from her third-story window.
As the officers began questioning and the girl was taken to the hospital, everyone was assured that the 4 year old was OK.
“We were told she was going to recover,” Whittingham af- firmed about the image burned into her memory. “We had young officers who were on the scene that day, and to see this little girl hit her head from having fallen, it was a bad day for them, as well — very traumatic.”
Whittingham wanted to rewrite the narrative of the tragic in- cident for the little girl and her family, as well as for the heroic 7th District officers who had been on the scene.
Once evidence came back confirming that the third-floor fall was truly an accident, the sergeant began brainstorming how to create a positive, lasting image of law enforcement for the fami- ly — a positive action that would prevail above the devastation.
“We wanted to do as much of what we could to leave them with a good memory of us,” Whittingham confirmed. “We don’t want them to just have the memory of us asking how she fell. When it’s a scene like that, they almost feel bombarded by po- lice, so I wanted them to remember, hey, we’re not just here to ask questions.”
After brainstorming, Whittingham picked up her son’s school
supply list and headed to Walmart to stock up for the family. She also began asking officers to donate books, and within a few days, the 7th District had a massive stockpile of new and used books ready for the taking.
With packages ready to go, the sergeant knew that COVID-19 and civil unrest threatened their ability to deliver the gifts to the family.
“We waited for COVID-19 to calm down, and we waited for the looting and the protesting and everything that was going on in our district [to stop],” Whittingham relayed. “But at some point, I was like, ‘OK, it’s not going to get better.’ COVID-19 could pick up, the things going on around us could pick back up. I was like, ‘Let’s just do it. The timing will never be perfect.’”
But on July 16, the timing proved to be perfect. The sunny day matched the bright smiles of the young girl, her 3-year-old sister and her loving family.
Whittingham and her team delivered toys, snacks, books and school supplies to them, in the same spot where the accident had occurred. And the 4 year old was even deputized with a lit- tle badge pinned onto her pink shirt.
“It was amazing that we were able to do this for the family and put smiles on their faces,” the sergeant shared. “They prob- ably remember us from one of the worst days of their lives, hav- ing their 4 year old fall out a window, so we wanted to kind of change that outlook and say, ‘Hey, we’re here for you. Let’s have a celebration that she’s doing much better.’ It was wonderful.”
46 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2020