Police officer pays for homeless family to stay in motel as temperature drops
The officer in Minnesota discovered the family of seven were planning to spend the night in a car.
A police officer paid for a homeless family to spend a night in a motel after discovering them in a car during a traffic stop.
The un-named cop from Minnesota was worried that the family of seven would struggle to stay warm in the car with temperatures forecast to drop as low as 10F, or -12C.
Coon Rapids Police Department posted the story of the officer’s kindness on its Facebook page acknowledging that the officer didn’t “want to be named nor receive any recognition”, but sharing it because “these kind of stories aren’t always told”.
“They told the officer they were homeless and were planning to sleep in their car. The officer was afraid that the family, especially the children, might freeze if they slept in the car overnight,” the department wrote on Facebook.
“The officer attempted to find emergency shelter for the family through our normal channels, but had no luck securing it.
“The officer then helped transport the family to a local motel where the officer paid for the room out of their own pocket.”
Lori West wrote: “This is what to serve and protect is all about.”
Paula Anderson wrote: “What a wonderful heart that unnamed officer has. We need more people like that in this world. Sometimes it is more rewarding to give anonymously and not wanting any recognition.”
Daryl Gullickson added: “This is what compassion looks like.”
This week, temperatures in Coon Rapids range from 2C to -9C overnight, according to AccuWeather. The incident happened on November 9.
