South Bend woman in need of air conditioner calls police for help

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Police officers were dispatched on Saturday to assist 87-year-old Joyce Boaler of South Bend when neither her air conditioner nor her fan would work. When officers arrived at her door, they brought her four big fans and a window air conditioner.

One officer paid for one of the fans, and the air conditioner belonged to another officer.

Boaler, who has severe arthritis and is limited in her mobility, said that there was no time to waste.

“I called the number for emergency management,” Boaler said, “and I said, ‘I have no air conditioning and I have a very bad heart and my life is in danger with this heat and I have nothing to keep me cool. I need assistance, I need somebody to come out and look at it.’ He said, ‘I’ll tell them on Monday or Tuesday.’ And I said, ‘that’s no good. You’ll find my dead body on the floor by Monday or Tuesday.’”

Boaler has been able to stay cool and has alerted the people who manage the property she lives in of the broken air conditioner. No one has yet to fix it.