Man Lands Job After Officer Gives Him Ride To Interview Instead Of Ticket

April 23, 2019

A young man man in Cahokia, Illinois, starts a new job this week and he has a police officer to thank for getting him to his interview.

Ka'Shawn Baldwin with Roger Gemoules

Ka'Shawn Baldwin, 22, was pulled over last week by officer Roger Gemoules for expired plates. Baldwin also did not have a valid driver's license.

But, he told Gemoules he had a job interview and didn't have any other way of getting there.

Instead of giving him tickets, Gemoules drove him to his interview -- and he got the job!

Francella Jackson, assistant to Mayor Curtis McCall Jr., posted the story to Facebook.

"On behalf of Mayor Curtis McCall Jr., I would like to thank Officer Gemoules for showing compassion and being a great example of how community oriented policing actually works," Jackson wrote.

Gemoules said he could tell Baldwin really needed the job.

"He was polite when I pulled him over and he seemed like a good young man, so I wanted to give him a chance," Gemoules told KSDK. "I knew if I gave him a bunch of tickets and towed his car, it would be tough to recover from."

Baldwin's new job is with Fedex as a package handler. This will be Baldwin's second job in addition to the job he already has at a McDonald's.