CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — When Officer Adam Price saw a woman frantically waving him down, he immediately assumed the worst. "I was thinking, oh no, something’s wrong," said Price.
If you ask Michelle Lowe, it was a crisis. "You can’t do senior pictures without formal wear," she said.
Michelle's son, Elijah Darling and his friend Jalen Lewis were taking high school senior pictures out at Clarksville's Liberty Park. But when it came for a wardrobe change, their hands were tied instead of their necks.
"I don’t know how to tie a tie," admits Lewis. "I figured Miss Michelle would know how to tie a tie."
It was a simple request of Officer Price, that is, once he could remember how to do it himself. "It’s actually been a couple years," said Officer Price.
What started as a plea for help, turned into a meaningful encounter. "I don’t think I’ve really interacted with a police officer before," said Darling.
At the same time, these knots were tied into place, any preconceived notions were unraveling. "It was nice to be able to approach him comfortably," said Lewis.
"I hate when people say all cops are bad. Some are bad, not all, so it was definitely nice to see one of those good cops because he was a good cop," said Darling.
"I’m glad I was a part of that," said Officer Price. "They may not remember me but they’ll remember they had a positive interaction with an officer. And I like that and I want them to come to us with anything they need, even if it’s small talk."
It was a lesson in perspective that Officer Price needed too. Just moments before his tie tutorial, he handled a much different kind of call. "Double overdose, it gets a lot of things spinning, really bad call," said Price.
These three now have ties that bind in ways they never could have expected. "It just makes my whole day better," said Price.
"Small things, simple things, they can make a difference," said Darling.
Jalen's mom took pictures of Officer Price's tie lesson and posted them on Facebook. TheClarksville Police Department reposted them and they've now been liked and shared by thousands.
