The Laredo Police Department officer was later identified as J. Garza. 'It is beautiful to see these kinds of acts,' said the woman who captured the deed on camera.
A Laredo police officer was praised for his act of kindness after a local lady recorded a heartwarming sight she stumbled upon. The Laredo Police Department officer was seen helping a man load up several working materials after they fell from his trailer. The cop ensured that the man was able to get back to work on time and safely. Olga Patricia Garza, a volunteer health promoter, caught the moment on camera while at a stoplight.
"I quickly told my daughter to look at the police officer helping the man and told her that it was such a pretty deed by the police officer. I quickly uploaded it to social media as well because we routinely use the tool to upload negative things, and I thought this would be something different and kind to spread," Olga said, reports LMT online. "This is definitely something that we must promote to the community, and I also saw the police officer smiling while he was doing the good deed. It was clearly the police officer’s good deed of the day."
Officials later identified the kind cop as J. Garza. "We are always in the public view, and most of the time the public often catches us doing things that we are not supposed to and all of these other things. But I do believe that the community does recognize the work that the officers in our department do," said Joe Baeza, the public information officer for the Laredo Police Department. "They see them out there and that they are helping the community out, such as helping people with flat tires, car trouble and in this particular case, this gentleman saw several of his materials fall as he was heading to work. And so the officers lend a hand wherever they can as the department really stresses the importance of service."
While some people may consider this a simple act or an officer just doing his job, Olga believes this small gesture will inspire others to be the best version of themselves. "I am really glad that it got the attention of the people and they saw that police officers are kind people too," she said. "This was not part of his daily job, but he did have the option to do what he did and made a positive impact on the man he helped and the community at large."
She added, "It is beautiful to see these kinds of acts as it might inspire some of his own colleagues to also partake in these good deeds." Baeza also noted how appreciating these small acts of service and sharing them on social media will push officers to continue doing them and showcase how the community and the department can work together in harmony.
Watch: Officer escorts elderly woman walking along busy highway to hair salon https://t.co/e0RcSiyzpD
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Last year, a Tennessee officer, Lance Hofmeister, with the Murfreesboro Police Department, was praised for helping 84-year-old Elizabeth Goode get to her hair appointment. "So I asked her, 'Would you mind if I gave you a ride? Do you want a ride?' And she said, 'Oh absolutely, that would be lovely.'" he told WTTG. After he dropped her, his actions were recorded and went viral online. "It's definitely a little strange for me, I'm not used to the attention, but as long as it spreads the joy and the acts of kindness, you know, if I were to give somebody a message, that's what I want people to do is, you don't have to be in law enforcement to check on people," he admitted.