Police Orders Woman To Open Her Trunk. Has No idea That she’s Recording Behind His Back

Nobody enjoys being pulled over—guilty or not. We all know how frightening it is to see red and blue lights flashing behind us. We panic, wondering what we’ve done wrong.

For Shiny Stacker, a Virginian, she was pure. She was simply driving to a big job interview when she was stopped. She was terrified when the officer requested her to open her trunk. But what the cop did next stunned her.

Shiny Stacker was a joy to be with on her way to work. It was a beautiful day in September 2017, and nothing could go wrong. The best preparation for a job interview is optimism. It’s also useful to prepare answers to questions you may be asked. But Shiny had no idea she had two meetings that day—one more daunting than the job itself.

No matter how much you prepare for a job interview, one thing’s crucial: being on time. It not only demonstrates your reliability but also allows you to prepare for the encounter. So, Shiny got ready at home, drove to the interview, and had plenty of time. Nothing could go wrong. Sadly, this is exactly what happened.

Shiny started driving to her job interview, feeling in charge. But when she turned onto Balling Road, everything changed. She observed red and blue blinking lights in her rearview mirror before she realized it. Frightened, she wondered if she’d been speeding or done something illegal. She hoped to get out of this problem fast when the cop pulled her over.

Nothing scares you more than seeing police lights flashing directly at you while driving—even if you’re 100% innocent. We humans tend to expect the worst in these scenarios. The adrenaline rushes, and we become frightened about worst-case outcomes. The only hope is that the cop is actually pulling someone else over. Sadly for Shiny, he was indicating she was the one.

“This just happened. I was pulled over on my way to my interview this morning,” Shiny wrote later that day on Facebook. She was telling her friends about her stressful morning and the bizarre events that followed. Her fans were still perplexed at this point. Why was she being stopped? But Shiny knew she hadn’t done anything illegal, so she waited for the cop to set the scene.

Shiny is one of the most upbeat people you’ll ever meet. In her spare time, she likes to dance, sing, write, and express herself in many ways. Normally laid-back, she became apprehensive at this point. Despite her best efforts to relax, she began to fret about worst-case scenarios. Then she remembered—she had an interview.

When being pulled over, you should generally steer away from traffic. When the police approach your car, you should put your hands on the wheel and wait for him to speak. But she didn’t. Shiny rushed over documents, ready to show the officer. She expected him to ask for a license and registration, so she prepared accordingly. But something went awry.

As Shiny searched her glove compartment for her papers, the officer remarked something unexpected.
“Don’t worry about pulling anything out,” he replied.

This baffled Shiny. Why was she being pulled over if not to show verification of her license? A million ideas flooded her mind. Worried about what was going on—and concerned about being late for her interview—nothing could prepare her for what the officer would say next.

“I just want you to know that your brake lights are out,” he continued.

This seemed to be all the officer intended to say. But Shiny was still upset. Something didn’t add up, and she wanted to fix it. You’d think she’d be relieved when the officer told her the brake lights were out. After all, working brake lights are a requirement for driving on the road. So why was Shiny mad?

“I’m immediately annoyed because I recently had my brake lights replaced,” she wrote on Facebook.

But there was another major issue that troubled her. The fact that she didn’t get a ticket didn’t make her happy. Why didn’t they work after she fixed them? Why should she pay to get them corrected so quickly? She communicated her displeasure to the police, who answered in an unexpected manner.

He knew her annoyance, but then he assisted her in unexpected ways. As enraged as Shiny was that her brake lights stopped working, there was another reason: her brake lights had been fixed for a staggering $600. In an online post, Shiny described how Firestone wanted to charge her $600 simply to check her car’s wiring.

The officer was stunned after hearing her story. He couldn’t let it go because she’d been overcharged, so he did amazing things.

When the officer pulled Shiny over, she was terrified to death. But it was about to get better. Officer Jenkins was so enraged about Shiny’s auto shop’s $600 price tag for her brake lights that he decided to help her. He urged her to pop her trunk’s hood. He wanted to see if he could fix her brake lights for free.

“Because you’ve lately paid so much to have your brake lights repaired, I feel it’s the least I could do,” Officer Jenkins reportedly told her.

“I was just thinking, he’s an angel. He’s a blessing,” Shiny said afterwards.

But would the officer be able to aid her, or would his efforts be in vain? Even if Officer Jenkins couldn’t fix Shiny’s brake lights, he made her day. Her soul was filled with joy that he was going above and beyond to help her.

Jenkins peered into the car’s trunk and wondered what was going on. He tapped the trunk lights, but they didn’t come on, Shiny said on Facebook. His first attempt, however, failed. Initially, he couldn’t figure out her broken tail lights. So what was going on with them? But Jenkins had a few surprises up his sleeve.

Then he urged Shiny to get out and inspect the other relay box. “Is this it?” Officer Jenkins asked as he started tampering with Shiny’s car hood, trying to diagnose the issue. He spent half an hour simply trying to figure it out.

They were unable to discover why the brake lights stopped working. But Jenkins wasn’t about to give up. He was bound to bring justice.

“He instructed me to go to an auto business right away, and he would follow me as long as I had my hazard lights on,” Shiny told NBC.

It’s hard to believe Officer Jenkins let her drive without working brake lights, but it shows how far he was willing to go for her safety. After learning about her previous repair job, he wanted to ensure she got a better one. So he followed her to her mechanic, anxious to ensure she got the treatment she deserved.

The main reason Officer Jenkins stopped Shiny was his commitment to safety. It’s quite risky to ride without working brake lights because other drivers don’t know when you’ll stop. Officer Jenkins was very enthusiastic about this, and rightly so. Instead of avoiding the task, he took it on.

Will his efforts be in vain? What could he actually do?

So Shiny and Officer Jenkins drove separately to the nearest auto repair. Jenkins was on a mission, and Shiny felt he was doing it all for her.
“He’s going above and beyond his role,” Shiny told NBC.

Even if Jenkins couldn’t help her, the fact that he tried meant a lot. He eventually fixed her brake lights—and so much more.

Nowadays, people are often seen as just another number. It sometimes feels like no one wants to get to know strangers beyond the surface. Officer Jenkins didn’t just meet Shiny—he saw a woman who needed help.

“He could have easily given me a ticket, but Officer Jenkins stepped out of his job and into a mechanic role to ensure I was safe,” she wrote online.

The officer’s treatment of Shiny clearly moved her. But it wasn’t just her. As previously said, she posted her entire event with her Facebook friends, who were all awestruck by Jenkins’ act.

Shiny didn’t anticipate the tale to go any farther. She expected her local community to hear the news but not for it to become viral. Oh, how wrong she was.

It’s one thing to tell a great story to your loved ones. With her encounter, Shiny hoped to brighten a few people’s days. She never anticipated the story to explode as much as it did. Her post went viral. Soon, the story was trending on social media and being read globally.

Shiny was surprised by the number of shares as she suddenly became a local star. She became a household name as the tale went global. Thankfully, it was for a good cause that touched thousands of people. Her message had gotten a lot of attention. Before she knew it, hundreds of people liked and shared it. Then thousands. The madness continued.

Shiny told NBC that her story was a beacon of light in a dark world. “It’s left folks with a horrible taste in their mouth,” she said, comparing it to previous difficult news items. “I believe one officer may start a trend.”

Shiny herself learned a valuable lesson. Officer Jenkins saw her as more than a civilian. In the process, he taught her that police officers are humans who are all distinct. You could assume Officer Jenkins was just doing his job. But Shiny, like the thousands of others who followed this narrative, knows otherwise. Jenkins went above and beyond his call of duty.

“I’m really grateful he helped me so much,” she said. The best thing was knowing she had influenced so many people by sharing it.

But the story wasn’t over yet.

Officer Jenkins had helped Shiny, and she wanted to thank him properly. She thanked him sincerely in person when the incident happened. But thanking him publicly was another matter. Her online story was her way of thanking the police and recognizing his efforts. She wasn’t expecting a reply.

She was ready to be appreciated for sharing her message and praising this cop. The Henrico County Police in Virginia wanted to thank Shiny for her wonderful evaluation. They wrote in their own post:
“Shiny Stacker shared this about one of our cops. We’re extremely proud of our officers. When folks like these share, Officer Jenkins—you went above and beyond. It’s all about community service. It teaches us to look past people’s appearances and go the extra mile to help those in need. We even got a friendly reminder about brake light safety.”

After all, Officer Jenkins wasn’t helping Shiny for the fame or glory. He did it out of genuine concern for her safety. And that made all the difference.