Plano police officers may have helped save the life of an infant when they responded to a request for a welfare check in a hospital parking lot.
Sergeant R. Polite, who was working off-duty at the hospital, and Officer C. Adair found a pregnant woman experiencing a medical emergency outside the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Plano on March 15. It is unclear how or why the woman arrived at the hospital, as she refused to go inside for medical assistance.
“Both officers patiently attempted to convince the female to not leave the hospital via Uber. When the woman’s Uber ride arrived, officers noticed that [the] destination address was a residence and convinced the Uber driver to cancel the ride. Within a few minutes, the woman gave birth, and Sergeant Polite secured the woman onto a stretcher while medical personnel recovered the newborn,” the police department reported on social media.
The mother and baby received immediate medical care from the hospital staff, and then both were transported inside the hospital to the neonatal intensive care unit.
The newborn likely would not have survived if the mother had left in the Uber, hospital staff told the officers.
Later that same evening, the woman, whose identity has not been released, told Officer C. Shelton that she had been physically assaulted. Police were able to identify the man responsible and found that he had an extensive criminal history and may be affiliated with a local crime gang.
The next morning, Officer Shelton followed up to check on the welfare of the mother and baby and discovered that the woman had left the hospital against medical advice and had abandoned the newborn.
The infant was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.
Under the Baby Moses law, also known as Safe Haven law, parents who are unable to care for an infant 60 days old or younger may leave them at a designated safe place, such as a hospital, fire station, or emergency medical center, and they will not be prosecuted for abandonment or neglect.
The Plano Police Department commended the officers involved for their compassionate handling of the situation.
“The response by both Sergeant Polite and Officer Adair was exceptional and sets the standard for professional and compassionate policing. Further, they went above and beyond their initial legal obligation to ensure the female and her unborn child were cared for and safe,” the department posted on its social media page.
“Officer Shelton’s thorough follow-up ensured CPS was fully aware of the scope and severity of the situation to ensure the newborn would receive the protections and safeguards needed. Thank you to Sergeant. R. Polite, Officers C. Adair and C. Shelton, for your exceptional and compassionate work on this call.”