Photo by Steven Georges
Behind the Badge OC
Photo by Steven Georges
Behind the Badge OC
Anaheim PD Officer Dave Garcia stands next to his personal
Chevy Tahoe with a missing car seat.
He’s also the owner of Chevy
Tahoe — with back seats that can be
Anaheim PD Officer Dave Garcia’s kind act allowed the Singer
family to drive safely to a relative’s home in Torrance for Thanksgiving
dinner as well as drive back home safely to Eugene, Oregon.
No problem, the officer told him.
Garcia didn’t think what he did
taken out and put into a Suburban.
was a big deal.
head, he says.
and maybe have used the back seat
Singer. “I don’t have a problem with
I don’t think it was a big deal. I was
The thought just popped into his
“I have a Tahoe,” Garcia told
you borrowing my seat.”
Singer felt especially upset by the
stolen seats. He says he suffers from
PTSD and that he doesn’t handle
stressful situations very well.
Garcia’s offer calmed him.
The officer drove back to his
personal vehicle, took out one of his
back seats (Singer needed only one to
accommodate his family) and installed
it in the Suburban.
Singer and his family — wife
Debbie, 45, mother Louise, 71, stepson
Erich, 14, daughter Bailey, 4, and son
“I’ve had my SUV for eight years
Anaheim.
Garcia initially didn’t tell his wife,
happy to see the seat go to good use.”
he figured he should mention it. After
seat back to Garcia the Monday after
house later that week.
As promised, Singer shipped the
Thanksgiving.
Singer later was able to find a
set on eBay for $650. A brand-new
set would have cost around $2,500,
he said. Singer received the seats a
week before Christmas from a seller in
Texas.
By Sunday after Thanksgiving,
all, his car seat was due to arrive at his
“You did what?” Garcia’s wife
asked.
Then she gave him a proud smile.
Singer followed up with a letter to
Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada
that read, in part:
He (Garcia) was professional and
In text messages, Singer thanked
showed great concern and empathy for us.
One message reads:
David Garcia. I could tell by his actions
Garcia.
I just can’t say how much we
Singer initially planned to get
a bad situation oh so manageable. My
thinking that he would be able to
from happening to other families visiting
Nancy, what he had done.
appreciated