“Disturbance at a residence” was the call. Routine—until Officer Daniels arrived. A boy in a red shirt stood in the yard. “Are you the one who takes dads away?” he asked quietly. Daniels knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m here to keep everyone safe—including you.” Inside, a woman cried, dishes were broken, a man yelled. Daniels stayed calm. “There’s a scared child outside,” he said. The man looked at his son, sat down, and opened up—about stress, job loss,
and love not lost but buried. Daniels offered help, not handcuffs. “Is he coming back?” the boy asked. “Yes,” Daniels said. “We’ll work through this.” Weeks later,