One police officer is receiving praise for the dedication she has shown in safeguarding and serving the residents of her community, including the individuals that are not human.

When Carolyn B. R. Hammett was driving through the pouring rain near her home in Greenbelt, Maryland, earlier this week, she came across the sympathetic police officer.

Her home is located in Greenbelt.

Hammett and her husband were taken aback when they saw the officer standing in the middle of the road; however, they were even more perplexed as to why the policewoman was smiling despite the fact that she appeared to be wet to the bone.

When they came closer, they saw that the cop, who they later found out was named Sharnise Hawkins-Graham, was guarding a snapping turtle that was obstinately sitting on the street.

According to what Hammett shared with The Dodo, “I couldn’t believe that she was standing there guarding that turtle in all of that rain.”

“Regardless of their line of work, there aren’t very many people who would do it. In every meaning of the word, she was acting in a protective and serving capacity.

According to Hammett, a local homeowner had contacted animal control about the turtle because they were worried about the creature’s well-being on the busy street.

Because of the stormy weather, the person was concerned that a vehicle would collide with it.

Additionally, snapping turtles should not be handled without the appropriate protective gear; hence, when Hawkins-Graham arrived at the scene before animal control, she resolutely took her place on the road to watch over the reptile until assistance arrived.

However, instead of allowing the police to complete her duties, Hammett’s husband covered the officer’s head with an umbrella while his wife went inside the house to get some shovels.

After that, the pair made use of the shovels to help the turtle cross the road to a safer location on the opposite side of the road.

Hammett continued by saying that “the police thanked us, and we thanked her, and then we all went on our way.”

She seemed utterly oblivious to the fact that she was drenched from head to toe the entire time, and she smiled widely and broadly the whole time.

She was lovely, inspiring, and kind; in other words, she embodied everything that one would hope a police officer would be.