LAURINBURG — A Laurinburg police officer has gone viral with a video of him showing a young boy his patrol vehicle.

Lt. Richard Snipes was the officer in the video and has spent plenty of his career befriending youngsters to show them they don’t have to be afraid of police officers.

“This is something that happens on the daily in our police department and police departments across the country,” Snipes said. “I didn’t even know I was being recorded but it’s a good thing that it’s been going around because it’s showing something positive which I think everyone needs right now.”

The video was posted to Facebook by Eldrick McKoy and read, “All cops aren’t bad … Whoever this cop is in Laurinburg, NC deserves a medal. All lives matter”

Snipes added that before the video was even taken he spent about 25 minutes in the store with the youngster picking out toys.

“I was in there already to pick up toys for the police department and when he saw me he was scared of me at first,” Snipe said. “It’s always something I enjoy, getting to see how their faces and attitude change throughout the interaction. I’d really like to see him again.”

When Snipes learned about the video on Facebook it was like a full-circle moment for him, because the girl who tagged him in the video was someone with whom he had a similar experience when she was a young girl.

“It was 1996 or ‘97 in Wagram and I met this little girl named Jamie and she was about 4 or 5,” Snipes said. “I’d let her sit in my patrol car. I would see her all the time and she started inviting me to her birthday parties … I lost touch with her around 1999 but a few years ago I was walking in the hospital and this woman in scrubs came up to me and said ‘Are you Officer Snipes, do you remember me?’ I had said no and she said ‘I’m Jamie, you used to come to my birthday parties.’ And then we connected on Facebook and she was the one that tagged me in the video.”

Snipes added he’s had a lot of good mentors who have inspired him to connect with kids in the community, such as Laurinburg Police Chief Darwin “Duke” Williams.

“I always saw Duke out there playing with the kids and I’ve always seen him do these type of things with the kids,” Snipes said. “So this happens daily, I know my guys are always doing it, they just haven’t been recorded. But it’s a good thing for people to see right now.”

Williams added he is proud of Snipes for everything that he does and he wasn’t surprised to see the video online.

“I have a lot of good men and women who care about this community,” Williams said. “I’ve known Snipes for several decades and I’ve gotten to see him evolve as an officer, a husband and a father. This is what we do on a daily basis and I’m proud this is something that this is something positive that’s being shared.”

Reach Katelin Gandee at kgandee@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com. To support The Laurinburg Exchange, subscribe here: https://laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com/subscribe