Calif. Police Officer Pins Badge on Colo. Deputy He Saved as Baby

A California police officer traveled to Colorado to pin a badge on a new deputy who he saved as a baby 22 years ago.

In November 2000, Escondido Police Sgt. Jeff Valdivia was helping state parole with a search when he found a 6 week-old girl on a bed next to her mother, who was struggling with a drug problem, the department stated on a social media post. The girl was underweight and a clear neglect victim, so the officer placed her in protective custody.

After Valdivia's intervention, the girl—Natalie Young—was adopted by a family on Jan. 1, 2001. She grew up knowing she was rescued by a police officer, and that act motivated her to pursue a career in law enforcement, KGTV-TV reports. Earlier this month, she graduated from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office academy.

The ceremony to become a deputy after her mother had done some investigating and tracked down Valdivia, who was still working at the Escondido Police Department. 

“My mom sat me down, … She was like, I found the officer that saved your life,” Young told KGTV.

“When I tell you I couldn’t even speak," she added. "He’s coming to my graduation? She said he’s going to pin the badge on you!”

The reunion, along with the graduation, was an emotional event for both Young and Valdivia. And now that the two have reconnected, they intend to say in touch.

“I could never re-experience that feeling,” Young said. “The whole time I was holding back tears at graduation. I couldn't stop smiling.”

“Just being invited to her graduation was a huge honor but being asked to pin her badge on was definitely a career highlight for me," Valdivia added. "You can just tell she cares about people. She’s gonna make a great cop.”