Dartmouth Officers Go Above and Beyond at Vaccination Site

It's always nice to hear about our SouthCoast neighbors doing good for others, especially amidst all of the turmoil and chaos the last year has brought us. The Dartmouth Police Department is getting some much-deserved recognition after one woman recently shared her story of an officer going beyond the line of duty to help her at a local vaccination site.

Sandy Friend shared the story in the "Town of Westport, Ma. WE THE PEOPLE" Facebook group Wednesday morning, writing that she had gone to the COVID vaccination site at the old Dartmouth Circuit City to get her second shot earlier that morning and had encountered "a kind, wonderful young man" from the Dartmouth Police Department.

She later learned that the man was Officer Darren Emond, who she said helped her into the building. Friend recently fractured a bone in her spine and was in a good deal of pain getting to her appointment, but when Officer Emond spotted Friend, he assured her there was no rush, grabbing her a wheelchair and wheeling her inside as her husband parked the car.

"Just one of the good guys!!" Friend wrote on Facebook. "I called the Dartmouth Police to make sure they knew what a great guy he was!! Thank you again!!"

Friend said she cried most of the way home, partially because of the pain in her spine but also because of how much Officer Emond's kindness meant to her.

"The best was him saying don’t hurry now, take your time, I’m right here," Friend told FUN107. "I grab[bed] on his arm and said I’m so sorry I’m squeezing your arm! He just said that’s ok I’m stronger th[a]n you think!

What Friend experienced is nothing short of a normal occurrence for those at the department. DPD Detective Kyle Costa said that while working detail at the vaccination site, he has witnessed every officer go the extra mile for others.

"I've personally seen every single officer that's worked that detail go above and beyond by helping anybody who needs assistance, you know, whether it be wheeling somebody in in a wheelchair or providing information to those who are looking to get a vaccination but aren't signed up for one at that site," Costa said. "It's a group effort and it's for a good cause, and I think that's what created such a successful operation over there."

Terence Burke, public relations director for Curative, a biotechnology company helping bring vaccines to people across the country and on the SouthCoast, commended the Dartmouth officers' kindness and assistance toward residents looking to get the vaccine.

"The Town of Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Police Department are an important partners in Curative’s work to provide vaccines to South Coast residents," Burke wrote in a statement. "We are grateful to the DPD for their professionalism as our onsite detail and for the officers’ constant kindness toward our patients."