"He's a blessing:" Officer praised for troubleshooting driver's brake lights during traffic stop

HENRICO COUNTY, Virginia -- A Virginia police officer is receiving praise for going "above and beyond the call of duty," helping a motorist dealing with malfunctioning brake lights while she was on the way to a job interview Friday, September 1st.

Chy-Niece Thacker's story was shared on Facebook by Henrico County police.

Thacker said on Friday morning, she was on the way to the interview when she was pulled over because both of her brake lights were out. Thacker said when the officer approached, he noticed she was gathering her license and registration and said "Don't worry about pulling anything out. I just want you to know that your brake lights are out."

Thacker said she was upset because she had just gotten the lights replaced "like, last month." She said she told the officer Firestone wanted to charge her $600 to "run a test on the wiring of the car," and that's when the officer told her to "pop the trunk."

The officer then checked the lights in the trunk, which didn't come on. He then asked that she pop the hood so he could check the relay box, before asking her to exit the vehicle so he could check the other one.

Thacker noted that "he could've easily given me a ticket, but Officer Jenkins stepped out of the officer role and into the mechanic role to make sure I was straight."

In the post, Thacker called the officer "a blessing," and police praised him for going "above and beyond the call of duty, noting that "We are so proud of our officers, especially when we see citizens share things like this. Service to our community is what it's all about."