CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Last week, there were two tragic deaths of children less than two years old in a hot car.
The first incident happened in Corpus Christi when a mother left her 22-month-old daughter in her car for hours after forgetting to drop the child off at daycare.
It happened again the next day in Beeville when a grandmother left a 9-month-old girl in a car, forgetting about her when she went inside a house.
Police chiefs around the Coastal Bend reacted to the deaths, which they say reminds them of their obligation to public safety. They also discussed the mental health effects it can have on those responding to the calls.
"We can get complacent, and we do get complacent like it's not going to happen in Robstown. This happened in Beeville, man, it's a small city," said Mike Tamez, Chief of Police of the Robstown Police Department. "So, yes it can happen in Robstown. So, yes we will be pushing out a big initiative to remind folks."
Enrique Diaz, Chief of police for the Refugio police department said that people need to practice awareness to prevent these incidents from happening.
"We're too fast and not slowing down and realizing what's around us," said Diaz.
Eric Blanchard, Chief of Police of the Aransas Pass Police Department said that people don't always consider the affect that emergency response work has on first responders.
"A lot of people don't stop to think, who else is affected when it comes to public safety," Blanchard said.
Tamez says Robstown Police Department is working with Robstown ISD Police to get the message out to double-check cars before getting out.
Since officers often respond to traumatic calls, Blanchard urged police departments to explore what resources they need, like counselors for officers.