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IT WAS A SURPRISING AND
SUDDEN STOP MADE BY A VETERAN
LOCAL POLICE OFFICER.
TONY LOPEZ SHOWS US WHY HE
FOCUSED ON THREE INDIVIDUALS
AND ENDED UP LEAVING A LASTING
IMPRESSION, IN A STORY YOU
WILL SEE ONLY ON CBS13.
Reporter: IT WAS A SUN
SOAKED AFTERNOON, MUCH LIKE
THIS DAY.
SERGEANT LOU REICH
OF THE SUBJECTS, DOWN THIS
QUIET STREET IN THIS
PICTURESQUE FOLSOM NEIGHBORHOOD
AND HE KNEW HE HAD TO MAKE A
MOVE.
EVEN THOUGH THIS 11 YEAR
VETERAN HAD NO PRIOR CONTACT
WITH INDIVIDUALS, HIS OFFICER
INSTINCT TOLD HIM TO ZERO IN ON
WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
THE FOCUS OF SERGEANT RIGHT'S
ATTENTION, THREE MALES MOVING
ABOUT WILDLY, RIGHT ABOUT HERE,
THEY WERE PASSING SOMETHING
BACK AND FORTH, SOMETIMES
TOSSING IT UP IN THE AIR.
ONE WITNESS WAS SLIGHTLY
CONCERNED.
WHEN YOU FIRST LOOK OUT AND
USE OFFICER RIGHT, WHAT DID YOU
THINK?
I WAS ACTUALLY MAKING THEM
SNACKS AND THEY'RE LIKE,
THERE'S A COP HERE.
THOSE WORRIES WENT AWAY.
WHEN MELANIE MYERS REALIZED HER
THREE BOYS, SEVEN-YEAR-OLD
TWINS BLAKE AND BRENNAN AND
NINE-YEAR-OLD TREVOR WERE JUST
BEING KIDS.
YES, THEY WERE HAVING A BALL.
THEY WERE ABOUT TO HAVE A LIFE
LESSON HANDED RIGHT TO THEM.
I APPROACHED THEM AND SAID,
GIVE ME THE BALL.
LET ME PLAY WITH YOU.
YOU GUYS CAN TEACH ME A FEW
THINGS AND STARTED SHOOTING
HOOPS WITH THEM.
Reporter: AN OFFICER
SHOOTING HOOPS IN FULL UNIFORM.
DID YOU THINK MAYBE YOU DID
SOMETHING WRONG?
NO.
MOM THOUGHT ABOUT SAKE --
THOUGHT ABOUT TAKING PICTURES
OR VIDEO BUT DIDN'T WANT TO
RUIN THE MOMENT.
SHE DID POST A THANK YOU ON
FACEBOOK AND THAT'S WHAT CAUGHT
OUR EYE.
I WAS SO IMPRESSED BY HOW
GENUINE HE WAS AND HE TOOK THE
TIME TO PLAY WITH MY KIDS.
Reporter: HERE IS PART OF
WHAT SHE WROTE, SERGEANT RIGHT
WAS EXTREMELY KIND TO STOP AND
SHOOT HOOPS WITH MY BOYS.
HE DEFINITELY LEFT A LASTING
IMPRESSION ON THEM.
THANK YOU.
WHEN THAT HAPPENED, I DON'T
HAVE FACEBOOK SO WHEN THAT
HAPPENED, CERTAIN PEOPLE
STARTED SENDING ME THE POST AND
I WAS COMPLETELY SURPRISED.
Reporter: YOU CAN GUESS WHO
ELSE WAS SURPRISED THAT THIS
EVEN HAPPENED IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
WERE YOU SURPRISED A POLICE
OFFICER WOULD TAKE TIME TO STOP
AND PLAY BASKETBALL WITH YOU
GUYS?
YEAH.
HE DIDN'T KNOW YOU.
YOU DIDN'T KNOW HIM.
NO.
Reporter: YOU WON'T BE
SHOCKED BY WHAT HE DID IT.
I DON'T DO STUFF FOR THE
PUBLICITY.
I DO IT BECAUSE IT'S WHAT'S
RIGHT.
AND HOPEFULLY IF I WAS THE
FIRST IMPRESSION THEY'VE EVER
HAD OR INTERACTION THEY'VE HAD
WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, THAT THEY
WOULD REMEMBER THAT DOWN THE
ROAD.
Reporter: THE INTERACTION
DIDN'T STOP THERE.
SERGEANT RIGHT FOUND OUT IT
HAPPENED TO BE THE TWINS'
SEVENTH BIRTHDAY.
I FELT THAT I HAD TO RUN
BACK TO THE STATION AND I WENT
AND GOT THREE OF OUR DEPARTMENT
CHALLENGE COINS.
AWESOME.
Reporter: IT INCLUDES THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT VALUES AND
MIGHT AS WILL HAVE THE FACE OF
SERGEANT LOU RIGHT, APTLY NAMED.
THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB, WHO
SCORED BIG TIME WITH ONE SIMPLE
MOVE ON A CUL-DE-SAC COURT.
IF THOSE KIDS REMEMBER THAT
INTERACTION FOR YEARS TO COME
AND HOW POSITIVE IT WAS TO
THEM, THEN EITHER COMPOST MY
GOAL AS A POLICE OFFICER AND A
MEMBER OF THE FOLSOM POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
THE DAY WE SHOT THE
INTERVIEW, HE WAS PROMOTED TO