I pulled over a driver doing 88 in a 55, expecting the usual story\u2014but this one was different. He told me he was rushing to the hospital; his daughter was in labor with serious complications and refusing treatment until he arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of issuing a ticket, I made a split-second decision. I had him follow my cruiser, and I escorted him through traffic to County Memorial. It wasn\u2019t by the book, and I knew I\u2019d have to answer for it\u2014but every minute mattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We got there just in time. Later, a nurse told me the daughter agreed to emergency care only after hearing her father had made it. Both she and the baby survived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He met his newborn granddaughter that day\u2014they named her Hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did receive a formal reprimand. But I also received a letter from the family that I\u2019ll never forget: \u201cYou didn\u2019t tear a family apart\u2014you helped keep it together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"