Throughout Texas and the U.S. law enforcement, officers are being appreciated throughout the month for National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, Jan. 9.
One thing is for sure, the Arlington Police Department is appreciative of the Dublin Police Department after reserve officer Cody Beam helped one of their officers following a hit and run accident Thursday, Jan. 5.
Off duty, Officer Beam was traveling down Interstate 20 in Arlington when he came upon a crash around 6:30 a.m. with no emergency vehicles present yet.
“I simply stopped to see if everyone was OK and if there was anything I could do to help,” he said.
Shortly, emergency services arrived to help, even blocking off lanes to keep drivers away from the crash scene.
While talking with the drivers of the crash, Officer Beam witnessed an Arlington Police Department Officer get struck by a vehicle. After hitting the officer, the driver kept going.
Beam credits his training and being in law enforcement for more than 25 years for getting in his vehicle and getting the driver stopped down the roadway. Arlington PD officers were then able to place the driver, Alfredo Guzman, 32, under arrest for failure to stop and render aid bodily injury.
Fortunately, the Arlington PD officer who was taken to the hospital with nonlife threatening injuries is expected to make a full recovery and Beam said that is the best outcome he could have hoped for.
“I’m just glad he was able to be in the right place at the right time to get the suspect stopped before he struck any other motorists and glad that the officer is safe with minor injuries,” Dublin Police Chief Cameron Ray said. “We are proud to have Officer Beam on our force and proud of his work.”
Arlington PD wasted no time praising Dublin PD and Officer Beam through social media and with a phone call to the chief, thanking them.
“We’d like to remind drivers that if you see emergency crews responding to an incident on the roadway, you need to slow down, stay alert, and if possible, move over a lane so those crews can work safely,” Arlington PD wrote on social media. “We’d also like to remind drivers that if you’re involved in a wreck, state law requires you to pull over, stay on scene, and provide reasonable aid to anyone who may be injured (which can be as simple as calling 911 to report the incident).”
State law also requires drivers to either slow down to 20 mph under the posted speed limit (over 30 mph) or move over a lane, when emergency lights are activated. This now includes tow trucks.