Cop went disguised as wheelchair user to catch thieves — but the kindness of people left him speechless
What was a simple undercover sting turned out to be a lesson that compassion often outweighs violence.
In 2015, the Vancouver police sent Sergeant Mark Horsley undercover in a wheelchair after a series of violent crimes against people with disabilities. But what was a simple undercover sting, called Operation Wheelchair, turned out to be a lesson that compassion often outweighs violence. Talking about the crimes, he told ABC News, "There were 28 offenses over the course of 15 months. In some cases, the victims required hospitalization, so they were quite serious. We had initially two knifepoint robberies, which happened about a week apart. We were outraged by having two close together."
Determined to stop more attacks, Horsley worked with a local rehabilitation center to simulate the movements of a man with a brain injury. For five days, he rolled through low-income neighborhoods with his fanny pack visibly open, waiting for someone to take advantage of his vulnerability. Instead, more than 300 people stopped to check on him, offer help, or even hand him money. "I think it was very inspiring. It was heartwarming that they showed so much caring compassion. I got close to people with violent criminal pasts, but it was like it was beneath their ethical code to commit a crime such as that," Horsley said.
There were countless moments that left him surprised. One man crouched down and reached for the pouch at his waist. Horsley thought he was about to be robbed, but instead the man zipped it shut and told him to "please be more careful with [his] things." Another big man in a red T-shirt picked up Horsley’s camera, and rather than steal it, he noticed bills sticking out of the pouch and zipped them back inside, reminding him to keep it safe. Moreover, a visitor from Quebec asked permission to pray for him, "adamant for my healing." Outside a bar district, a stranger pressed 75 cents into his hand, and whenever Horsley told people he couldn’t count, they always gave back exact change. "Not once did anybody shortchange me," he said.
By the end of the operation, Horsley realized that not only was he unharmed, but he was also $24.75 over the money he started out with. He donated the surplus, along with more from the department, to the BC Rehabilitation Foundation. Research confirms that such everyday kindness is rooted in human social behavior. A broad international study led by UCLA sociologist Giovanni Rossi and collaborators from Australia, Ecuador, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK discovered that small acts of kindness are remarkably frequent and universal. Researchers observed that people subtly signal for help about every two minutes, and across both urban and rural settings, these small requests are almost always met with compliance rather than decline.
Reflecting on the experience, Horsley said, "The community accepted me very quickly as being one of theirs, and I had an opportunity to hear the stories from different people and to really get to know people while I was down there. The generosity, the caring were inspiring. In this project, I had an opportunity to experience Vancouver's downtown east side from a different perspective — that of a 4'7 vulnerable person in a wheelchair. The caring and compassion expressed to me in my undercover role were inspiring. This community has soul." He added, "Victimizing the vulnerable is far beneath the people of the Downtown East Side. For the very rare and despicable person who's willing to victimize vulnerable people, you should know the police are watching, but more importantly, the people of the Downtown East Side are watching. They care and they take care of their vulnerable people."
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