On Tuesday, Nov. 19, a statement revealed that the Shawano County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a young boy seeking help with his school project last week.
“He stated his family ‘wasn’t very good at math either’ and he needed help,” they added.
The department reported that Deputy Chase Mason, the responding officer, noted in his report that he wasn’t particularly skilled in math either, but he still stated, “Nonetheless, I responded to assist.”
Fortunately, authorities reported that Mason and the child successfully resolved a math problem involving decimals.
They mentioned that later on, the deputy handed a business card to the child, suggesting he reach out if he ever needed assistance — but noted that “next time he should likely use the non-emergency line if it’s not a life-threatening situation.”
Nonetheless, the sheriff’s office indicated that the event served as an excellent opportunity for learning.
“Thank you, Deputy Mason, for taking time out of your day to be a friend to this young man!” they wrote.
Mason shared his experience of meeting the child while responding to the emergency call in an interview with ABC affiliate WBAY.
“He came right to the door to meet me, then I walked into the house and sat down by the kitchen table,” Mason told WBAY. “He had his math out all ready for me. He pointed out exactly which ones he needed help with.”
Kim Krause, the emergency dispatcher who took the call on Friday, Nov. 15, characterized the boy’s plea as heartfelt.
“He said ‘Ma‘am, I know I’m not supposed to be calling 911 for this, but I really could use some help with my homework,’ ” Krause told the outlet, “I asked, ‘Well what can I help you with?’ and he said it’s math and I’m like ‘uhh.’ I’ve been out of school for 40 years so I’m like, ’I don’t know if I can help you with this, but we’ll find somebody.’ ”
On Thursday, Nov. 21, Shawano County Sheriff George Lenzner expressed his admiration for his deputy, noting that Mason manages the department’s cadet program aimed at young adults aged 14 to 20 who aspire to enter the field of law enforcement.
“Chase is a great officer,” Lenzner wrote. “I am very proud to have officers like this in our office that will go above and beyond their duties. When we look for new officers we look for officers that will communicate well with the public. We like to do a lot of community activities within our County and have a very good relationship with our citizens of Shawano County.”