Officer's act of kindness turns routine traffic stop into birthday surprise for child

Betsy VanNoy from State College says she was in a rush last week trying to make it to her daughter’s fifth birthday party when Ferguson Township police officer Dan Lewis pulled her over. After explaining her situation, she says Lews not only offered to follow her there so that she could be there to celebrate, but he also left her daughter a gift for her birthday.

“No part of me thought that was going to happen, and so I was just like 'Really? I’m not going to miss this? Yes I will absolutely do that, whatever I have to do,’ I was just really relieved and thrilled also," said VanNoy.

VanNoy says she only had a few minutes to get from downtown State College to the KinderCare on Farmstead Lane for her daughter’s fifth birthday. She says the officer told her that her plates and inspection were expired, but offered to follow her to the birthday party and leave the warning papers on her dash. She says it was completely unexpected, and when she went back to her car, she saw more than just that.

“Then when I came out, there’s this little police dog on my dash and he had written happy birthday on his card so that I knew where to send my updated registration and inspection," said VanNoy. "I told people about it and their jaws dropped, they were just like ‘Oh my gosh, how did he have a stuffed animal?'" she continued.

Officer Dan Lewis says the officers in Ferguson Township keep the stuffed dogs to help calm the children they encounter. He says he has a four-year-old daughter himself who loves the stuffed animal, and that it’s important for local police departments, such as Ferguson Township, to have a positive relationship with the residents.

“Part of it was the parent in me and part of it was the reason why I came into the job," said Officer Lewis. "I mean it was going to be another five minutes for me to type everything up and to me, it just didn’t seem like the right thing to do to have her sit there and miss five more minutes of party for a clerical error," he continued.

VanNoy says that her daughter was over the moon when she saw the stuffed dog, and Officer Lewis says that this isn’t just specific to him and that he believes that every Ferguson Township police officer would do what he did if given the opportunity.

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