Brandon, a fifth grade student at John Muir, was honored in his classroom by Berkeley Police officers for his “eagle eye and quick, decisive response” in helping search teams find a missing senior citizen last week. Brandon’s mother received an email alert from the Berkeley Police Department (BPD) on her cell phone asking for citizens to be on the lookout for a missing senior citizen suffering from Alzheimer’s. She thought that she must have been imagining things when she looked up from the email to see a man who seemed to match the description. She immediately showed Brandon the email who had just met her after his music class, and suggested “That man looks like he fits the description of the guy, but that’s just not very likely.”
Brandon, who is described by friends and family as an “eagle eye” because of his observation skills said, “Mom, that is the guy,” and encouraged her to approach the man. She called the man by name, and he told her that was not his name. She returned to the car, but Brandon insisted, “Mom that is him. Just call the police now.” Directed by Berkeley Police to follow the man and keep him in sight, Brandon’s mother gave them the cross streets until BPD arrived to confirm that he was in fact the missing person.
Berkeley Police Officers Burcham and Nabozny thanked Brandon for his quick action, and turned the experience into a lesson for all of the students in the class: Pay attention to their surroundings, and always notify a teacher, parent, police officer or other adult whenever they see anything they think might be important and should be reported.
