Watching The Cops
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Title: Police officer adopts homeless mother's opioid-addicted newborn
Source:
CNN
URL Source: http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/healt ... d-the-call-of-duty/index.html
Published: Dec 1, 2017
Author: Ed Lavandera and Jeremy Harlan
Post Date: 2017-12-06 03:26:25 by Gatlin
Keywords: None
Views: 1309
Comments: 8
Albuquerque, New Mexico (CNN)Police officers will often tell you there's no such thing as a routine call when you're patrolling the streets. But when Albuquerque police officer Ryan Holets responded to a possible theft at a nearby convenience store, it had all the hallmarks of a mundane assignment he could quickly clear from the call log. It didn't turn out that way. As Ryan left the convenience store on September 23, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a couple sitting on the grass against a cement wall. It appeared the man and woman were shooting up heroin in broad daylight behind the convenience store. Ryan turned on his body camera and approached the couple but he wasn't prepared for what he saw. The woman was in the middle of injecting a needle into her companion's arm. Then he noticed the woman was pregnant. "It's not every day I see a sight like that and it just made me really sad," he told CNN. Beyond the Call of Duty Crystal Champ, 35, looked slightly dazed and agitated in the body camera footage as you hear Ryan begin to scold her. She told the officer that she was almost 8 months pregnant and addicted. "You're going to kill your baby," Ryan is heard saying on the bodycam footage. "Why do you have to be doing that stuff?" It's going to ruin your baby." In the video, Champ is seen breaking down in tears after hearing this. She told CNN the officer's words cut deeply because, even though she's pro-choice, the idea of having an abortion was never an option for her. "I was like how dare you judge me. You have no idea how hard this is," Champ told CNN. "I know what a horrible person I am and what a horrible situation I'm in." 'He became a human being instead of a police officer' Champ, who has battled addiction since she was a teenager, sat down for an interview with CNN outside of a tent where she currently lives in Albuquerque. Champ has been homeless for more than two years. She detailed a life time of battling heroin and crystal meth addiction and how the drug controls every moment of her life, spending up to $50 a day on scoring hits of heroin simply so she can "get well." She's tried multiple times to get clean, but failed. "I did give up. I just decided this was going to be my life," Champ said. "It just keeps coming back and ruining my life." In the body camera footage, Ryan questions Champ and her companion for almost 11 minutes. He focused on Champ and tried to figure out whether she fully understood the danger drug use was inflicting on her unborn child. In the course of the conversation, Champ emotionally told Ryan that she desperately hoped someone would adopt her baby. Champ says the words triggered a change in the officer's demeanor. "He became a human being instead of a police officer," Champ said. Ryan made the call to not charge the couple with drug possession but he couldn't shake the voice in his mind telling him that this was his chance to help and truly make a difference. Ryan showed Champ a picture of his wife and four children, including a 10-month old baby and in that moment offered to adopt her baby. "I was led by God to take the chance," Ryan said. "God brought us all together. I really don't have any other way to explain it." Champ was stunned and says she looked at him to "make sure his eyes were genuine and that I could see his soul." She realized instantly, her prayers had been answered. But there was one problem, Ryan offered to adopt Champ's baby but had not told his wife about it. Rebecca Holets was just a few miles away at a going-away party for a friend. Ryan jumped in his police car and drove over to the party to break the news. Ryan walked up to his wife, who was holding their 10-month old baby, and said he had just met a pregnant woman who was shooting up heroin and that he offered to adopt the baby. The couple had discussed adopting a child in the future but were waiting for their youngest child to grow a little older. When Ryan delivered the shocking news at the party, Rebecca never hesitated. "He already knew my heart on the issue and he knew that I would be totally onboard with it," Rebecca said. The Holets say they see many in the world around them who desperately need stability. They know they can't help every child, but Rebecca knew she could take on the challenge of raising another baby. "We feel God has called us to do that," Rebecca said. "It's been on our hearts for a while." Champ said she has battled addiction since she was a teenager and has been homeless for more than two years. She’s tried multiple times to get clean but failed. After Holets showed Champ a picture of his wife and four children, he offered to adopt Champ's baby. "I was led by God to take the chance," he said. "God brought us all together. I really don't have any other way to explain it." Champ hopes that when Hope grows older, she'll understand how much her mother and father loved her -- and that placing her with a loving family was the best thing to do for her future. The Holets family knows that their new baby will probably face trials and troubles. The threat of developmental issues is real. "Whatever struggles she has, we'll be there, and we'll work through it," Holets said. "And that makes me happy." Click HERE to read the remainder of the article. Poster Comment: Yes, this happened with a cop in….wait for it….Albuquerque, folks. You remember reading in a recent post here on LF about all of the bad cops in Albuquerque….right? Yea, sure you do. The yellow journalism piece of shit article said [or at least tried to firmly imply] that all cops in Albuquerque were nothing but bastard pieces of shit and should be investigated by the DOJ. Well, that was the takeaway the author and the asshole who posted the article wanted you to have. So, I am here today to tell you that you shouldn’t believe every crappy piece of yellow journalism some cop-hating dimwit posts on LF that is vindictively agenda driven and trying constantly to brainwash you with propaganda about bad cops. And, yes, there are some bad cops….but the bad cops are only few in number and seldom to almost never do the 99% of cops who are magnificently performing their duties have stories written about them and posted here of LF. I just did that and thank you for taking time to read it. Now, if this story about a wonderful cop and his wife didn’t make you tear up, or almost tear up….then you have one cold, cold heart. Cue old Hank … 
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#1. To: Gatlin (#0)
It's not so much that the individual cops are bad - it's the fact that the entire department is corrupt. Albuquerque’s long history of police abuse, cover-up and scandal Among the DOJ findings: As of 2012, no shooting by an Albuquerque cop had ever been found unjustified by a grand jury, leading critics to labeled the process a “sham.” And residents have become fed up with the APD, with hundreds taking to the streets in protest after the shooting of a homeless man. The thing is, for longtime Albuquerque inhabitants, this probably all sounds familiar. Back in the mid-to-late 1990s, the city went through a similar scandal. I wrote about it in my book.
Albuquerque officer praised for how he treated students protesting end of DACA
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Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestYou remember reading in a recent post here on LF about all of the bad cops in Albuquerque….right?
#4. To: Deckard (#1)
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