KANSAS CITY, MO — A pair of Kansas City, Missouri, police officers went above and beyond to care for small children after responding to a serious call.
“Let me ask you this, have you guys had breakfast yet?," KCPD Ofc. Dwon Littlejohn asked the children.
This one question led to the kindness of Ofc. Littlejohn and Brittany Hiltner.
"All they see is a uniform, we see children in need,” Hiltner said.
The two officers responded to an emotional distress call inside a home on Aug. 30.
“The family member inside, there was an indication or decision made that she probably needed to be transported to the hospital,” Littlejohn said.
The family inside was then taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
Littlejohn told KSHB 41 News he went into dad mode making sure the kids were comfortable, even going out of his way to buy breakfast for the kids.
“It’s the most important meal of the day,” he said. “I think we both cut up some pancakes for them just to make sure they didn’t make a mess or anything like that.”
However, that morning was not the last time they would see that family. Littlejohn told the family they could reach out to him if they needed anything.
“There was an issue there, there was a call for service, it wasn’t anybody’s fault, no one went to jail,” he said. “But we also recognized, 'Hey look, we can provide you with some more services.' We can do some more things for you. That is not the normal run of the mill, show up take a report and leave."
The children's great grandmother made an urgent request to Littlejohn a couple days after their original meeting.
“A few days later, she reached out to my partner (saying she) needed help with resources of groceries, (it's a) simply easy thing that our social worker can get,” Hiltner said.
LittleJohn and Hiltner then reached out to social worker Brooke McQuillar, who did her part to provide the groceries the family needed.
“Immediately we rely on community resources to help us," McQuillar said. "So I reached out to a local food pantry and asked if they could provide food for this family. I sent them the information, how many family members and they got us food.”
Littlejohn and Hiltner, along with Mcquillar, returned to that family’s doorstep with what they needed, leaving a positive impact they hope will last a lifetime.
“It’s not just answering calls of service, it’s not just making reports, if you need something, say something,” Hiltner said.
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