If you watch TV shows like “Chicago P.D.” and “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” you might think the average day in the life of a cop involves high-speed car chases, dramatic confrontations, and life or death decisions.
While things like this do happen in Naperville, and our police are certainly as brave as any you might see on television, these are not daily occurrences.
In our town, first responders are more likely to spend part of their day doing wellness checks, which is not to say that’s not just as important as chasing bad guys.
One of those checks led to Officer Jason Maulding receiving a CAPS award Thursday for going the extra mile last Christmas.
CAPS, short for Citizens Appreciate Public Safety, is a Naperville community group that recognizes public safety personnel for their contributions to the city. Each year Naperville residents are asked to nominate public safety employees who have done something that goes above and beyond the call of duty and exhibits a genuine concern for the welfare and well-being of Naperville citizens.
Maulding was nominated by police department social worker Jamie Horner for a remarkable act of kindness.
“Officer Jason Maulding … assisted a senior in town who was struggling with some sadness around the holidays,” she said. “Unfortunately, she lived alone and her daughter and grandchildren moved out of state a few months prior. She also recently broke her leg and was overwhelmed by the follow-up care she needed.
“Officer Maulding stayed in touch with the resident for support and when he found out that she would not have anyone visiting her on Christmas, he took over a homemade Christmas meal with his family so she didn’t have to be alone. This was above and beyond what he was required or asked to do, which makes the level of kindness amazing.”
Horner, who has worked in the police department for nine years, says increasingly she sees police work as a real community job, with more and more wellness checks.
“I would say the enforcement piece is a very small piece of police work,” she said. “A lot of it is following up mental health and social service issues, just making sure their basic needs are met. The interesting part is that our number one health providers are first responders. The biggest tool is their voice, making sure everyone is OK.”
And it’s not just a one and done approach, she said. Officers try to stay connected.
“There’s been a big swing towards this and the department does a really nice job of that,” Horner said. “I think it’s about trying to humanize the badge. I think the community has a negative light on the police and does not always think of them as human.”
Maulding said police officers do well-being checks every day.
“I try to treat everybody the same way I would treat my mother and wife. Sometimes they won’t let you but 99.9 percent of the time they do,” he said.
In this woman’s case, she initially told him she was fine and didn’t need any assistance, he said. But after they talking, she admitted she was sad because Christmas was coming up and she had no one to spend it with, Maulding said.
“Life can slap you around sometimes,” he said. “I knew Christmas would be hard for her. I said I live in town and said I would visit.”
Like most CAPS recipients, Maulding is shy about the award. He’s been with the Naperville department for 19 years, but this was a first for him, he said
“We were already in town, and I live only two and a half miles away from her,” he said. “The satisfaction from just doing the act. I didn’t do it for any special reason. I didn’t expect anything like this.”
This is the second award Officer Maulding has received for a special act of goodwill. In February he was honored with a KidsMatter Kindness Award.
The CAPS Board is comprised of residents from the Naperville community who meet to discuss and decide on specific incidents and actions involving fire and police department personnel that are worthy of recognition in advance of a ceremony held every May. A CAPS Awards event honoring the Naperville Police Department is held in May of every year followed by a similar gathering for the Naperville Fire Department in October.
As a reminder, if you’re ever concerned about your safety, call the police on 911. If you think you might hurt yourself, the suicide hotline is available 24/7 by dialing 988.
“There’s no judgment. We just want to help,” Horner said.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007. She can be reached at hilarydecent@gmail.com.
