During Tuesday’s Heber City Council meeting, the Heber City Mayor’s Office presented Officer Ty Cummings with the Mayor’s Award for a decision that emphasized the “serve” in “serve and protect.”
Police Chief Parker Sever explained the department’s decision to nominate Cummings for the award and how the officer helped a community member in need.
“He was dispatched to a lady that was having a child custody issue, and I’ve taken those in the past when I was an officer, and I was always like, ‘Just the facts — Why are we here? Where are we going?'” Sever explained.
Cummings did things a little bit differently.
“He clearly didn’t stick to just the facts. What he found out during his conversation with this lady was that she was short on food and supplies for her and her baby. And I’m not sure how you get there over a phone conversation, but he got there, which means he was asking the right questions,” Sever said. “What he did next, though, was he went to the store, and he purchased supplies for this young mother and delivered them for her and her baby so that they could be taken care of.”
Cummings didn’t tell Sever about the act himself. Instead, his action came to light after “he was ratted out by a fellow officer.”
Cummings — who has only been with the police department since late last fall — is originally from Heber City. He previously worked as a law enforcement officer with the Houston Police Department before he was hired in his hometown.
“He strayed for a little while,” Sever joked, “He realized the error of his ways, and he returned.”
To have an officer with strong roots and relationships in the community, he explained, is a definite asset in their line of work.
“Though he’s been here a short time, he’s shown that he represents the values and the morals that we expect in our officers and in our city employees,” Sever said at the meeting. “And so for that reason we nominated him to the mayor for this award.”
After the meeting, Sever explained custody dispute calls to police departments typically require officers to search for court orders or other factors that would help them figure out who should have custody of a child. Sometimes officers respond in person, and sometimes they speak with different parties over the phone, as was the case with Cummings.
“Typically, especially when you’re doing something over the phone, you can’t really look at the person and see the condition that they’re in. You’re just getting information about a child custody dispute,” Sever said. “But clearly he must have, because he cared about the person, went into a log more detail than typically. And when he was going to that detail, he found out that she was in need of some assistance for her and her baby.”
While Cummings’ actions were commendable, Sever said they’re not necessarily rare, and they signify what the Heber City Police Department looks for in its officers.
“I’ve been a cop for 27 years, and I’ve seen this hundreds of times,” he said. “It happens more often than you think. The officers are caring individuals, and they’re here to serve and protect and help these people.”
He said he’s seen an officer set someone up with a fridge and another officer help someone fix their car’s air conditioning system on a blistering day.
“It’s the same thing here. When they see somebody in need, they want to help,” he said. “And so that’s what he saw, and that’s the behavior that we want to encourage.”
Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco also spoke highly of Cummings and said his act of kindness will be a bright spot on his and his family’s Heber Valley legacy.
“I’ve known Officer Ty Cummings for a long time, almost all of your life, actually, and I have to say that the service that you’re giving not only fulfills courage and compassion that we want in our police officers, but it honors your family legacy in our city and valley, and I just am so happy to see that,” she said. “We’re so glad that you’re here with us and can give this excellent service for our citizens.”