Why This Officer Gave a Baby a Bath: A Heartwarming Tale

Police officers are tasked with numerous duties, but bathing infants isn't typically among them. Nonetheless, West Virginia Officer Derek Graham found himself giving a small baby a bath in the police station sink last Tuesday.

The story began earlier when Graham and another officer pulled over a vehicle driving suspiciously. A quick investigation revealed the driver was heavily intoxicated, and a foul odor from the car attracted the officers' attention to the backseat.

There, they discovered a baby wearing only a filthy diaper. The child was covered in dirt and seemed to have recently vomited. He cried and looked utterly miserable.

"He was covered from head to toe in vomit and filth," Graham recalled in disbelief. "It was the most shocking neglect of a child I had ever seen."

While the baby's mother was arrested on the spot, the child was taken to the police station.

"He was wailing and crying, and as a father myself, I just couldn't bear to let him sit in all that mess," Graham explained. He took the child to the station's kitchen, placed him in the sink, adjusted the water to a comfortable temperature, and began washing him.

"It was incredible. At first, he cried so much, but once I put him in the water and started making bubbles with him, he suddenly started smiling. It was clear he felt a lot better. After the bath, he was a completely different baby."

The officers contacted social services, asking them to come as soon as possible — they had no diapers or baby food at the station.

"He was very tired after the bath," other officers at the station reported. "He clung to Graham and didn't want to move away." Without a crib or playpen at the station, the little boy — whose name is still unknown to the officers — stayed in Graham's arms for the rest of the evening until the social worker arrived and found him dozing off.

"It was a very special experience," Graham concludes, hoping the baby will now find a more stable life. And what does Graham say about his unusual decision to give the baby a bath?

"It's my dad instinct that kicked in," he shares. "Forget the fact that I'm a cop. The dad in me took over and said, 'Gotta clean this little guy up!'"