By Police1 Staff
Lending a helping hand is part of the job for officers of the law — but their daily good deeds rarely make headlines. With our new series, we aim to bring some much-deserved attention to the little things our officers do for our communities every day. Check out this week’s round-up of inspiring stories from around the country.
1. Ky. police help boy losing eyesight achieve dream of becoming cop
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PIKEVILLE, Ky. — Officers helped make six-year-old Trenton Morris’ dream of being a cop come true, WKYT reported.
Trenton is legally blind in one eye and doctors said he may lose vision in the other. His dream job when he grows up is to be a cop.
“His vision’s just so bad, I’m just really worried he’ll never get to be an actual cop,” Trenton’s mother Christy Morris told the news site.
Pikeville Police, Kentucky State Police, the Pike County Sheriff and Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement came together to help Trenton achieve that goal.
The officers put together scenarios so Trenton could act out putting the “bad guys in jail.”
“He [Trenton] said Mommy I’m a real cop, I’m a real cop,” Christy told WKYT.
The day ended with Trenton’s arrest of “bad guy” Pike County Sheriff Rodney Scott.
“We just wanted to take that problem out of his life and the only thing he saw today was his dream coming true” Pikeville Police Chief Phillip Reed said to the publication.
2. Calif. cop buys shoes for homeless woman
Today while shopping at the mall, a police officer walked in with a young lady that had no shoes on. I asked the...
Posted by Joshuah Rounds on Sunday, November 8, 2015
TEMECULA, Calif. — Officer Bruce Pierson was commended for his act of kindness towards a homeless woman, FOX 5 reported.
The officer responded to a call of a suspicious woman at a mall. When Pierson found the suspect, she explained she was moving from car to car to find shade. The 18-year-old woman named Franki told the officer she had not worn shoes in two months.
The officer looked at her calloused feet covered in dirt, then took Franki inside a clothing store to pick out a pair of shoes. Several other shoppers approached to also lend Franki a helping hand. Franki left with two pairs of shoes, socks, a scarf and a beanie.
Pierson said Franki was very emotional and cried with joy at the kindness she received from strangers.
Pierson also provided Franki with dog food for her pets, several sweaters and a blanket. He then put her in contact with Project Touch, an organization that aims to end homelessness.
Photos of Pierson’s kind act were posted on Facebook and went viral — garnering over 300,000 likes and over 200,000 shares.
3. Okla. officer saves injured owl from highway traffic
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NORMAN, Okla. — Sgt. Darin Morgan is being applauded for saving an injured owl he spotted on the side of a highway, FOX 59 reported.
Morgan was able to safely grab the owl and take him to a wildlife refuge to recover.
X-rays showed the owl’s radius and ulna bones were broken.
The department posted pictures of the incident on Facebook and they’ve received over 4,000 likes.
4. Va. officers stop traffic to help elderly woman cross the street
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NORFOLK, Va. — Two unidentified officers stopped traffic to help an elderly woman with a walker cross the street, KLFY reported.
The woman was attempting to cross the busy intersection when police offered their help.
Officer stopped the traffic because they knew the woman was not going to get across the road before the light changed to green.
One officer turned on their lights and stood by their patrol vehicle, while the other physically assisted the woman.
A photo of the act was posted to Facebook and has been shared hundreds of times.
5. SC cops reach into their own pockets to help hungry man
BEAUFORT, S.C. — Beaufort County sheriff’s deputies were caught helping a hungry man suspected of trespassing at a grocery store, the Island Packet reported.
A civilian, William Giles, watched as deputies asked the suspect in his late 50s or 60s if he was hungry instead of handcuffing him.
“The officers responding, instead of escalating the situation, the deputies reached into their own pocket to help their frail hungry elder,” Giles wrote in a letter to the newspaper.
Giles then approached the officers involved — Cpl. Christopher Briggs, Sgt. Daniel Mooney and Cpl. Craig Karafa — to thank them.
“It’s what you want in a police officer, but it’s not what you see reported today,” Giles told the news site. “They do that every day and nobody ever says anything about it.”