In addition to his heroic duties everyday, Officer Naessens took the time to be a hero to one Douglas Park resident last weekend when he stopped to help the man and his son with the intense task of breaking up 72 sq ft of concrete!
The following account was posted by the resident’s son to Facebook on May 16, 2020.
The The Arlington County Police Department says that it’s officers serve the community each day with DUTY, HONOR and COMMITMENT. I’ll buy that statement, especially now that I’ve witnessed it first hand through the actions of officer Naessens.
True story! My dad called me this Thursday, May 14th, and said that he needed help removing an old concrete planter bed from his yard. I went over on Friday to look and see what all needed to be done. In a nutshell, we needed to use a sledge hammer and break up a 72 sq ft concrete form that was about 8” above ground. While scoping out the job with my dad, officer Naessens of ACPD rolls up in his cruiser and initiates a conversation that goes like this…
Officer Naessens: “hey, how’s it going? Looks like you have a quarantine project going on over there”
ME: “we sure do, how about coming on over and giving us a hand”
Officer Naessens: “okay”
He proceeds to park his cruiser and enters the yard
Officer Naessens: “what do you need help with?”
ME: Actually, I am here to scope out the project, but I’ll be back tomorrow morning to knock it out.
Officer Naessens: “what time?”
ME: I will be here at 10:00 am.
Officer Naessens: “10:00 am, okay”
So, he took off and I just figured it was nice of him to stop by and chop it up with us for a bit but there was no way he’s coming back here tomorrow to work!
I arrived at my parent’s house at 10:00 am this morning (Saturday, 5/16) and went right to work with my dad. In remembering the conversation with officer Naessens, at around 10:30, I jokingly told my dad there was no way he was showing up today to do some concrete work but around 10:45 am, officer Naessens pulls up in front of the house ready to work!
He mentioned that he would have showed up at 10:00 am but got a call just as he was preparing to come over. Officer Naessens worked with us for about an hour, carrying slabs of concrete from the yard to the truck. During our time working, we shared about our time in military service as he was recently discharged from the Marines after 6 years as an MP. He’s a Bears fan, as Chicago is his hometown, and his second favorite NFL team happens to be my beloved Dallas Cowboys!
It would have been fine if officer Naessens never returned on Saturday. We wasn’t expecting it and wouldn’t have given it a second thought but he’s a man of his word. It’s not about the work (although carrying slabs of concrete is no joke). It’s more about who he is and what’s in his heart that caused him to have an interest in helping.
Police officers have a serious job to do but can you imagine if every police officer in the country had the heart, character and selflessness of officer Naessens? We’d be a much better country! Thanks to officer Naessens of ACPD for helping us and demonstrating what service to the community with duty, honor and commitment looks like!