In 1998, he helped save her after a devastating fire. In 2016, he watched her graduate college.

[Botany]

Source: Washington Post

Peter Getz held Josibelk Aponte in 1998, after a fire ripped through a Connecticut apartment. Getz, a patrolman at the time, performed CPR on the 5-year-old victim as she was being rushed to the hospital, working in the back of a police cruiser, the Hartford Courant reported.

snip

Aponte. (Photo courtesy of Peter Getz) Aponte. (Photo courtesy of Peter Getz)
“I almost died, but I was given a second chance at life,” Aponte said, according to the Courant. “And it was because of Peter and all the authorities, everyone who came to help that day.”

Aponte is grown now, 23 years old. This week, she graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University. And Getz, who is now retired, was there for the commencement, watching along with her family.

snip

When asked if he considered Aponte to be family, Getz said: “Oh yeah.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2016/05/19/in-1998-he-helped-save-her-after-a-devastating-fire-in-2016-he-watched-her-graduate-college/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_3_na

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I know cops get a lot of crap here on DU but sometimes they are real heros.

[UMTerp01]

1. Beautiful story

Thanks for posting!!! Yeah cops do get a lot of crap and unfortunately we've learned that its more than just a "few bad apples". But there are plenty of cops who do their job with integrity every day.

K&R to this story.

[Botany]

2. And sometimes that "crap" is more then needed but everyday in America cops do ....

.... some pretty good things for all of us.

[JudyM]

7. +1

[Snotcicles]

3. Bad cops, get a lot of crap here on DU. nt

[niyad]

4. a lovely story and thank you for sharing it.

BAD cops get the crap they deserve here on DU. there are frequent mentions of the good guys.

[cstanleytech]

8. Ya except when you mention that there are many good cops in those threads the

long knives come out.

[philosslayer]

5. There are a few good ones out there

n/t

[IkeRepublican]

6. Lots of great ones out there

BERNIE 2016.

[cstanleytech]

9. Barring any evidence that shows otherwise I would hazard that the majority of them are good

but the bad ones are what you hear about in the media because the media is not about reporting the news as much as it is about selling it and good cop stories don't sale.

[Judi Lynn]

10. Wow. Tears to the eyes in a flash. What a great outcome for a helpless little girl. Thank you. n/t

[FSogol]

11. Cool story, thanks for posting. n/t

[FailureToCommunicate]

12. Powerful.

https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=1484