It’s not every day we receive an unsolicited call from a crime victim singing the praises of the officers who helped them out of a potentially dangerous situation. But it’s always a nice surprise when we do.

Alabaster resident Carol Shubert took time out of her day last week to call us and praise the city police officers who quickly responded to her house after she heard a strange noise outside her house. As it turns out, her suspicions were accurate, as officers arrived on the scene to find a man allegedly attempting to break into Shubert’s house through a window.

Shubert immediately locked herself in her bedroom and called 911. Within seconds of her calling, dispatchers had an officer who was patrolling near Shubert’s neighborhood on the way to the residence.

When the officer arrived, he chased the suspect from the house before both the suspect and the officer fell from a high retaining wall, injuring themselves. While medics treated the two injured men, another group of police officers made entry into Shubert’s home, escorted her to safety and swept the house for signs of any other intruders.

Luckily, officers confirmed no suspects had actually made it into Shubert’s house. But without the officers’ quick response to the scene and dedication to ensuring Shubert was safe, it could have easily been a different story.

“Miss Shubert handled it very well. She barricaded herself in her room and called the police immediately,” Alabaster Police Chief Curtis Rigney said during an interview for the story. “It was a dangerous situation, and we are grateful she is OK.”

We share Rigney’s thoughts, and also share Shubert’s praise for the officers who turned what could have been a tragic situation into a heartfelt call to the local newspaper.

The editorial is the opinion of the Shelby County Reporter editorial board.