Texas officer gives teen teased by bad haircut fresh look and new outlook

FORT WORTH, Texas (KTRK) -- Don't judge a book by its cover. That's the message from a Texas police officer to a young woman he met on the job.

Fort Worth Officer Damon Cole responded to a disturbance call in March, where he met 16-year-old Ramiyah, who was skipping school because of a bad haircut. She told him she couldn't take the teasing.

Officer Cole told her that if she returned to class and stayed out of trouble, he'd pay to have her hair done.

This week, he checked in on the teen and made good on his promise. He took her to the salon and paid for a new look. Cole said her face lit up and she now has both a new look and new outlook.

"She didn't really care for police, she had a negative image of (the) police," said Officer Cole. "I said, 'I want you to make one promise to me: never judge a book by its cover. Wait until you interact with that officer, and then form an opinion.'"

Cole posted cell phone video of the before and after and his kind act has gotten a lot of attention online and in person. He said he's even getting recognized while on patrol.