Your Feel-Good Cop Story Of The Year

Here at TLP, we commonly bring you stories of police abuses, bad behavior, and general asshattery that often accompanies giving someone power over another…

…but it’s not always like that. “Thin blue line” concerns notwithstanding, the vast majority of people who go into law enforcement do so because they honestly want to serve and protect people. And the below story is one of personal kindness and compassion that warms the heart (and feet).

25-year-old Officer Lawrence DePrimo was on duty in Times Square when he encountered a barefoot homeless man walking gingerly on his heels with visible blisters on his feet on Nov. 14. After learning his shoe size, DePrimo ducked into a Skechers store, then knelt on the ground as he helped the man put the new pair of shoes on—a moment captured on the cellphone of an Arizona tourist, who later described the shot to the NYPD in an email.

Boots

Maybe I’m just getting sappy in my old age, but I’m increasingly realizing that a lot of people talk the talk about helping, but few walk the walk. Too many want to “raise awareness” or “lobby Congress” to solve problems, when those problems are right in front of them and don’t need to be solved by someone else. In my own life I’m working on trying to be better about doing rather than talking in the regards of charity.

So I applaud Officer DiPrimo. He saw someone who needed help. He had the means to help. And he rolled up his sleeves and took care of the problem. Not because he wanted accolades; just because it needed to be done. That’s a lesson that all can heed, cop and citizen alike. Good work! If he’s ever out here in SoCal, the pizza and beer from the kegerator are on me.