Police officers around the world know that every day is different and that they are bound to encounter all kinds of situations in the local communities they represent.
A fine example of this took place in Montebello, California, a city located just outside of Los Angeles, with a population of 63,000. The incident occurred inside a Bank of America branch.
Mike Mozart / Flickr
Montebello Police were called to the bank to deal with a customer who had become unruly.
When Officer Robert Josett arrived on the scene, he found an elderly man of 92 who was upset and flustered that no one in the bank could remedy his situation.
Apparently, the elderly man’s ID card had since expired and would not allow him to withdraw any money from his account.
The bank staff patiently tried explaining to him about the expired card, but he grew frustrated because he needed to take some money out, and no one would help him.
The old man remained in the bank, had become quite agitated and would not leave, and that is when the staff had no other solution but to called the police department to remove their customer.
The elderly man’s situation touched the heart of Officer Josett, and he decided to help the nonagenarian.
He escorted the white-haired man to the department of motor vehicles to obtain a licensed ID renewal card, according to a television news report by Fox31, and that wasn’t all.
After Officer Josett helped him secure the new card, they returned to the Bank of America branch together.
He went inside to assist the elderly gent in withdrawing the amount of cash he needed before the bank closed.
Montebello Police captured the heartwarming incident unfolding with photographs they posted to the department’s Facebook page.
Immediately, the story went viral, and people from near and far were moved by the special police escort of the 92-year-old man walking into the bank again.
One of the photos shows the old man holding on to the officer’s arm as they enter the bank.
One Facebook poster commented that Officer Josett was “a Saint!”
Another posted on the social media page that the old man could have been their father or grandfather, and they appreciated the officer’s thoughtful gesture.
Officer Josett doesn’t think he is any kind of hero and believes it was an easy decision to help the elderly man. He was certainly not going to arrest him.
The viral story contains a great teachable moment for people of all ages. The police officer gave the old man his dignity and used compassion to handle the situation.
It’s a wonderful story to pass along on social media. Others can only gain by its message.