MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – When Myrtle Beach Police Officer Chris Voegele first started working with Myrtle Beach High School students, many of the kids were slow to trust his motives.
Officer Voegele volunteered in the ninth grade Literacy and Numeracy classes at Myrtle Beach High School. Teacher Cynthia Nycum said even though the officer was there to mentor and help the students with their assignments, the kids weren’t quick to warm up to Voegele, but that quickly changed.
“[Officer Voegele] was getting ready to leave my class, and the young man came up, shook his hand and said, ‘Can I give you a hug?’” Nycum described during Tuesday’s city council meeting. “Of course, Chris gave him a big hug, and the young man thanked [Officer Voegele] for all his advice and then when Chris left, [the student] looked at all the other kids in the class and said, ‘Now that’s one cop I trust.’”
Nycum told the Myrtle Beach City Council on Tuesday that Officer Voegele’s compassion and respect earned the students’ trust and the officer was honored with the Community Engagement Award of Excellence for his engagement with the students.
Nycum described Officer Voegele’s reach and connection with the students as a “godsend.”