A Little Girl, a Shy Smile
Klynn Scales, nine years old, knew that the local policeman would make the rounds near her home every day at a certain time. She made sure she was at the window, waiting for him. When he came by her house, she’d smile and wave hello.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
That police officer and the little girl looked forward to the little face, the smile, and the wave every day. They made each other’s day that much better, just exchanging warm looks. Klynn was too little to wonder why her neighborhood needed a daily patrol. That little girl had a tough life.
Growing Up in a Rough Neighborhood
Klynn Scales grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, in the 1990s. She helped her mom take care of her two little brothers. Their life seemed pretty normal from the outside looking in.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
But this was not a normal life. Klynn and her family lived in a very dangerous part of the city. Somehow seeing the policeman come by every day made her feel safe. For a nine-year-old to feel safe only when she saw a policeman illustrates how bad the area was. Seeing that cop, however, was what helped her make it through her childhood.
Klynn Had To Raise Her Younger Brothers
Drugs, and drug-related violence ruined the neighborhood that Klynn grew up in. This was certainly not the ideal environment for a child, but it was all she and her family knew.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
Klynn’s mother worked several jobs to make ends meet, meaning that the children were often left alone, with Klynn caring for her brothers. For a nine-year-old to be responsible for other children is a huge burden. Klynn knew what she had to do and tried to be a big help to her mother.
Nine-Year-Old Mommy
It’s hard to imagine what Klynn had to do to take care of her brothers. She was in charge of their food purchase and preparation. Sometimes this meant walking to the nearest food store late at night. She often didn’t have enough money to purchase food; she was forced to steal food to feed her little brothers.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
Essentially Klynn had to become a responsible adult at nine years old. She was well aware of how wrong it was to steal, but she also couldn’t face her brothers having to go without. Even her health suffered from the stress.
Klynn Comes to the Attention of the Police
It didn’t take long for the police to notice the little girl walking the streets at night with food packages. They made it their business to find out what they could about the family. And one officer, in particular, made Klynn’s family a priority.
Source: Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
That officer would drive by Klynn’s home every day and look for her in the window. He and she looked forward to their exchange of smiles and waves. This made a difference in Klynn’s life. He didn’t know he’d save that life in the future.
The Officer’s Promise
Klynn didn’t know the name of this particular policeman, yet we know that she thought of him as her friend. At one point, he actually told her that he was there to protect her. Today, adult Klynn remembers, “Through all the bad situations, I would just picture him saying that he was here for us.”
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
It was just a few words and a daily smile and wave, but these small actions made all the difference to Klynn getting through her most difficult times. Those words helped her and would eerily come to mean a great deal.
One Day Klynn is Not There
The daily wave and smile become the best part of the day for Klynn and the officer. For Klynn, living a life where adults were not always trustworthy, she remembers, “He was the one person that I trusted in my life as a kid.” Then one day, Klynn was not at the window.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
The officer became concerned enough, knowing her family situation, to imagine all sorts of possibilities. The officer knew something was very wrong.
One Day the Officer Approaches the House
The officer knew what he had to do; he didn’t have to consider his options. He exited his car and approached the house carefully. He didn’t know what was going on inside, so his training had taught him not to rush into these kinds of situations. When he opened the door, he saw what he feared – Klynn was on the floor, barely breathing.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
The policeman rushed Klynn to the emergency room. He felt so protective of this child that he couldn’t imagine anything happening to her. It’s hard to imagine his worry standing in the hospital and waiting to hear from the doctors.
Klynn is OK
This dedicated police officer’s quick action saved Klynn’s life. Klynn had collapsed because she was severely malnourished. The medical team told him that she might have died if he had not found her at that moment.
Source: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
After this frightening emergency, Klynn and her family moved to Texas. She never had a chance to thank her friend, the policeman, for saving her life. But she never forgot what that kind man had done for her. Twenty years later the adult Klynn decided she was going to track down her hero.
First Stop: The Internet
Klynn’s first stop in her search was to post her story online. Sure enough, not long after she posted her story on Facebook, she received a comment from a woman named Jennifer Jones.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
Jennifer, a sergeant in Kansas City with the police force, saw the story and told Klynn that she might know the policeman involved. Klynn was so excited to finally find out some information about her hero. Was it going to be so easy to find him? It was hard to believe.
The Policeman’s Name
Officer Jeff Colvin received an email from Jennifer Jones in 2016. The email described Klynn’s story, telling him about the little girl near Colvin’s police station who was now all grown up and was looking for the police officer who had saved her life. She described this officer as her “guardian angel” in the Facebook post.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
Officer Colvin knew the story was about him. He was overwhelmed that the little girl was grown up and wanted to contact him. He had worried about her for years, hoping that she had not only survived her difficult childhood but found some happiness for herself.
Officer Colvin is Thrilled
Officer Colvin had spent many years wondering about Klynn. The last time he saw her was in the hospital when he learned that she’d survived her bout with malnutrition. After that, he never saw her again. As he said, “I had actually thought about her and wondered whatever happened with her.” Now he knew that she had grown up and was all right.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
He was touched that she was trying to contact him. He couldn’t believe that she had made an effort, after all these years,to locate him. Now it was time for the two to reunite.
The Emotional Reunion
What a moment that was – twenty years after the emergency room incident, Officer Colvin and Klynn finally got back together. It was overwhelming for both of them. Neither had forgotten the attachment to the other.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
For Officer Colvin, the reunion was life-changing. He had been on the force for many years and had seen some horrible crimes that had drained him of his passion for the job. Seeing Klynn reminded him of what a police officer can do and revived his love for the job.
Colvin’s Passion for Police Work
Officer Colvin’s excitement about police work was reignited after visiting with Klynn. He said, “Most times, we go through our career not realizing we truly helped anybody out. I wondered if I was even on the right career path.”
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
At that moment, Officer Colvin remembered why he had joined the police force and what was so rewarding about it. He remembered what was wonderful about the job. Then, Klynn told him about her own career choice.
Klynn’s Career Choice
Klynn’s memory of what Officer Colvin did had never left her. That memory inspired her into adulthood. So she decided to apply to be a police officer in Houston. Her friend, the unnamed officer, had been a real life hero her, and she wanted to be a hero to others in her neighborhood.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
But Klynn’s feelings for Officer Colvin went beyond his being her hero. He was the only man in her life who was there. In fact, she felt like he was a surrogate father to her. That was when she told him one more thing.
Klynn Creates a Forever Reminder
When Klynn found out the name of her hero, she decided to create a reminder that she’d wear forever. She had a bracelet made with the engraving: “Sgt. Jeff Colvin ‘A True Hero’.” She wanted always to remember the man she called her guardian angel.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
This inspiring story shows the world that the police have a powerful effect on their communities and care deeply about each community and each individual. Klynn is not the only person whose life has been changed by a police officer’s caring.
The Story Goes Viral
Proud of Officer Colvin and his humble approach to being called a hero, his hometown police department in Kansas City shared the story of the reunion online. The story went viral instantly, and others began to share their own hero stories about police officers in their neighborhoods.
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
Among the stories shared, many were about Officer (now Sergeant) Colvin and the selfless acts he had undertaken for the people in his community. Amazingly, Klynn’s was not the only life he saved while just doing his job. He had become a real Kansas City hero.
Support for Colvin and Klynn
It was a great moment for police officers everywhere when the story of heroism went viral, and especially when others chimed in about their own experiences. Today policemen don’t often get support or recognition for their difficult work. One comment read, “I have great respect for all police, though some deserve it more than others.”
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
Because of all of the positive support received on social media, and in the press, Klynn has decided that she needs to become the kind of police officer that Colvin was and help people in her city.
Klynn Plans Her Future Based on Her Past
Klynn likes to look to the future and wants to take every available opportunity to change the lives of people in need. Talking to Colvin, she says, “I hope one day I can become someone’s hero or make a positive impact like you [Colvin] did mine.”
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
She reflects on Colvin’s heroics and the stories others have told about him. She says that Colvin proved that he could shine a light into her life of darkness. Now she wants to serve the next generation of kids in need and show them that people do want to help.
Making Life Meaningful
This story has a happy ending and serves as proof that there are people who care and who are willing to go out of their way for others. Klynn graduated from the Houston Police Academy in June 2018 and is now a police officer. Want to hear something amazing?
Source: Klynn Scales/Facebook
Officer Jeff Colvin and his wife, as well as Jennifer Jones, were in the audience for the graduation and cheered the loudest when she was called to the stage. We’ll add our own wishes: Well done, Officer Colvin, and well done, Klynn!