The story of New York Police Department officer Larry DePrimo is catching viral on Facebook today.
Officer DePrimo said that he was cold, even though he was wearing two pairs of wool socks under his combat boots. He came across a freezing barefoot man asking for change in Times Square, and couldn’t abide letting the man freeze. The officer went to buy some thermal socks and insulated winter boots, presenting them to the homeless man. A random bystander took a picture of this act of kindness, posted it on Facebook, and it quickly went viral.
Arizona native Jennifer Foster captured the image during a visit to New York with her husband and sent it to the NYPD, who posted it to their official Facebook page.
“Right when I was about to approach, one of your officers came up behind him,” Foster wrote to the NYPD. “The officer said, ‘I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let’s put them on and take care of you.’ The officer squatted down on the ground and proceeded to put socks and the new boots on this man.”
In her post, she wrote:
“I have been in law enforcement for 17 years. I was never so impressed in my life. I did not get the officer’s name. It is important, I think, for all of us to remember the real reason we are in this line of work. The reminder this officer gave to our profession in his presentation of human kindness has not been lost on myself or any of the Arizona law enforcement officials with whom this story has been shared.”
The photo has received more than 75,000 shares and 321,000 likes since it was posted Tuesday.
Sound off on this NYPD officer’s random act of kindness!
0 Comments