CODA Oklahoma City police officer helps Deaf woman in car trouble

A Deaf woman from Oklahoma City, Juliet Joy, had car trouble last week when a tire rolled away into a grass when she was stopped under a highway bridge.

Luckily for her, a police officer who is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) showed up to help her. Her name is Officer Sheena Stoops from the Oklahoma City Police Department.

See this clip from KOCO 5 News.

[Video]

The Oklahoma City Police Department shared Joy’s story on their Facebook page. Joy said she was very relieved that Officer Stoops knew ASL and that it was her first time seeing an officer sign after six years in Oklahoma.

She was able to help Joy arrange a tow truck, contacted a family member, and gave her a ride home. Here is a video clip from Joy that was sent to The Daily Moth.

Joy: I feel inspired and happy. God blessed me. She did a great job helping me communicate with a tow truck and my daughter JoLynn’s father on the phone because I was not sure what to do with my car.

Alex: Joy said she was very thankful that she didn’t get in an accident. She said her car’s lug nut studs snapped because when she got her tires replaced a few months ago, the tire shop did not tighten them well enough.

Here is one more comment from Joy.

Joy: For the Deaf community, we need more police officers who know sign language like her.

Alex: This is a positive story of a police officer interacting with a deaf person in Oklahoma City.

Unfortunately, there were two serious incidents in the city involving deaf people. A deaf man, Magdiel Sanchez, was shot and killed in 2017. Another deaf man, Pearl Pearson Jr, was beaten during an arrest.

If the officers in those incidents were fluent in ASL, would it have made a difference?

https://www.facebook.com/65444419168/posts/10157366589274169?s=24410745&sfns=mo

https://www.koco.com/article/ocpd-officer-helps-deaf-woman-stranded-at-intersection-with-car-problems/27705798?fbclid=IwAR3Wdt8coyv1DsG3cVW_im1sQebssA3w7qr8bh5wARkc81irzBmV19nPXqc

https://nondoc.com/2017/10/11/deaf-magdiel-sanchez-pearl-pearson/