When Darren Ballard Sr. of Tacoma, Washington, was sitting in traffic next to a police car, he noticed something unusual.
An on-duty sheriff’s deputy caught Ballard’s eye, he could not ignore what he saw – Darren had to take a picture.
At first glance, it doesn’t look like much of anything. It appears to be just a photo of a sheriff’s cruiser, on the side of the road
But take a closer look and this photo will reveal something that the officer never expected others to find out…
Darren Ballard and his fiancee were sitting in traffic next to a police car when they both noticed something out of the ordinary.
He then snapped a picture that appeared to be just a photo of a sheriff sitting on the side of the road. Although it could be difficult to make out, the officer is next to someone.
And there’s a lot more going on in the picture than initially meets the eye.
”I just couldn’t believe my eyes,” Ballard told CBS News.
Ballard had captured a genuine act of kindness from a concerned officer. He spotted an on-duty sheriff’s deputy sitting on a patch of grass along the side of the road, sharing his lunch with a homeless man.
“I look over and there’s an officer in uniform, sitting on the grass, sitting with a homeless guy sharing a sandwich and I was just blown away”, he said.
“Just saw this cop having a sandwich with a homeless guy … wanting no attention just doing a good deed,” the Pierce County man wrote as he posted the image to Facebook.
“There are good police officers out there … this made my day, please share!”
And, share they did.
It didn’t take long for the picture to spread like wildfire with thousands of shares from amazed citizens, including one from the local sheriff’s department where the deputy works.
“I think this is fabulous. Cops are humans too — just like this fellow that happens to be homeless,” one Facebook user wrote.
“Most are good people. It’s nice to see this side of them,” another wrote.
Thousands of people commented on the photo, thanking Ballard for capturing the “heartwarming” moment.
After the photo went viral, more information emerged about the cop and his unlikely friend.
The deputy, who wished to remain “anonymous,” found the homeless man panhandling and struck up a conversation with him, according to Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Ed Troyer.
“Our deputy asked him if he was hungry the man said he was. So the deputy sat down with him and shared his lunch with the man,” Troyer wrote on the department’s Facebook page, according to CBS News.
It’s as simple as that.
Troyer adds that these types of incidents are common, happening “quite often” in his department, which prides itself on compassion and respect.
But, he appreciates the scene being shared none the less.
“It’s nice for the police, who do handle their job with the utmost passion and respect in the field, get a break with some good positive news for a change,” he said.
Ballard thanked people for spreading the story.
“It’s nice for the police, who do handle their job with the utmost passion and respect in the field, get a break with some good positive news for a change,” he said.
And it’s not just in Pierce County that our cops sometimes show off their best side.
Across the country in Jackson, Tennessee, a similar scene was captured by Elizabeth McClain.
The moment was something she will never forget. Elizabeth spotted a homeless man sitting at the side of the street with his backpack and she felt sorry for him because he looked hungry.
But, before she knew it, a police car stopped and an officer approached the man.
”Imagine sitting on the side of the road with everything you own, fitting in a backpack”, Elizabeth said in a Facebook post with the picture.
“You’re lonely and hungry. You put your head down to try and forget the scream of hunger echoing in your mind. Then you hear the sound of an engine stop,” she wrote.
“You look up to see a uniformed officer walking towards you. Your mind flutters thinking of everything you might be doing wrong. Suddenly this officer sits down pulls out lunch and not only takes away your hunger but your loneliness too.”
Elizabeth didn’t know the police, but she knows he made a difference, not only to the homeless man but to her as well.
“This is the side of law enforcement no one sees,” she said, reminding others that we are all human and deserve love and respect.
“So share this,” she continued.
“Show this officer that his act of kindness didn’t go unnoticed.”
I couldn’t agree more!
These two officers are excellent examples of what it really means “To Protect and Serve.”
Hopefully, their generosity and selflessness help skeptics to see what most cops are all about.
In fact, many are more than willing to sit with members of their community on a personal level, offering not only their service but their friendship, too.
Share this story on Facebook with all your family and friends if you also think that these cops deserve to be honored!
