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Johnson County deputy and 9-year-old little girl become fast friends

Isabella Trice-Birriel has endured multiple surgeries and many hospitalizations. It was during one of those hospital stays a few years ago that Isabella first witnessed the kindness of a cop.

Cleburne — They make an unlikely pair on an Alvarado swing set – a 9-year-old little girl pushing a 27-year-old sheriff’s deputy.

But in the little girl’s mother’s eyes, the friendship was months, if not years, in the making.

“The police are her heroes,” said Cecilia Birriel. “I always say she’s my hero but the police are hers.”

Cecilia’s daughter, Isabella Trice-Birriel, was born 16 weeks premature. She has endured multiple surgeries and many hospitalizations. It was during one of those hospital stays a few years ago that Isabella first witnessed the kindness of a cop.

“He was giving teddy bears and books to children fighting cancer,” Cecilia explained. “She was just amazed by it and she said that was what she wanted to be when she grows up. Ever since then, every time she sees a police officer, she’s got to wave at them, go up and talk to them.”

That’s what happened in January, when Johnson County Deputy Steven Howell drove past their house while on patrol.

“I was outside playing and I saw him pass by my house so I decided to wave at him,” Isabella said.

Howell stopped and a friendship began to blossom.

“She told me that her life goal was to be a police officer one day,” he said.

Howell gave her a teddy bear which Cecilia says Isabella sleeps with every night.

“Probably about a month later, I got a call from a deputy and she told me they received a 911 call from a girl named Bella and Bella had called 911 to check to see how I was doing,” Howell said with a smile.

When Isabella had a police-themed birthday party, Howell showed up to surprise her.

“I didn’t expect him to come up and see me there,” Isabella said with a smile. “It was pretty awesome though!”

Howell presented Isabella with a sheriff’s department patch and gave her a tour of his police cruiser. He even helped her put her dad under make-believe arrest.

“You could just see it - her dream was a reality at that moment,” Cecilia said.

She said Isabella has proven doctors wrong for years, and she believes her little girl will indeed one day become a law enforcement officer.

“There’s nothing that will ever hold her back or hold her down, never,” Cecilia said.

Isabella said the reason she wants to be a police officer is because “they help grown-ups and kids and they also save people from bad stuff.”

“They don’t only just arrest people, they also help people,” she added.

The friendship between Isabella and Howell is an example of the side of policing people don’t often get to see. But it’s Howell’s favorite part. “We love to come out and make a difference,” he said.

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