The following is a great story about help; help provided by two policeman to an elderly gentleman in need. If the police authorities encouraged cops more in this area and the media publicized these good deeds to a greater extent we would be in a better place. Tragic stories of "bad shoots" such as the deaf man in Seattle and police corruption are important but let's remember that the average cop has integrity,courage and a sense of social responsibility clearly illustrated in this report from Victoria BC's Time-Colonist (who deserve kudos) ---
Police help 95-year-old loner, his pension cheques uncashed
By Lindsay Kines, Times Colonist December 18, 2010
A pair of Victoria police officers played Good Samaritans to a 95-year-old man who was discovered living alone in an apartment without heat or lighting, despite having thousands of dollars in uncashed pension cheques.
Constables Jan Malinosky and Rebecca Pollock responded to a 911 call from a “confused elderly male” in the Hillside Shopping Centre area on Thursday afternoon. The officers found the man in good condition, but with no heat or lighting in his apartment.
The officers — Pollock is just three weeks out of training, while Malinosky has about 10 years on the job — checked with B.C. Hydro, and discovered the man was behind on his payments.
Yet a quick look around his apartment revealed that he had a number of uncashed pension cheques “in the area of thousands of dollars,” said Staff Sgt. Kerry Panton, who supervises the officers’ shift,
A Watch.
The officers got the man to write out a cheque to B.C. Hydro, deposited his pension money in the bank for him, paid his bill and arranged for a victims services worker to sit with him until an emergency crew restored the power.
The following night, the officers went back to check on the man, and took him some groceries.
“He was cosy,” Panton said.
Meanwhile, police alerted agencies to make sure someone checks on the man and determines if it is safe for him to be living alone, and to ensure he receives proper care.
Panton praised his officers’ compassionate and “outstanding” work on the file.
“It’s what we often do — the side that people don’t see,” he said.
Police hope to find the man’s family. But if they are unsuccessful, he will not be forgotten over the holiday, Panton said. “If he’s alone on Christmas night,
A Watch is working again, so we’ll make sure he’s got Christmas dinner.”
Constables Jan Malinosky and Rebecca Pollock responded to a 911 call from a “confused elderly male” in the Hillside Shopping Centre area on Thursday afternoon. The officers found the man in good condition, but with no heat or lighting in his apartment.
The officers — Pollock is just three weeks out of training, while Malinosky has about 10 years on the job — checked with B.C. Hydro, and discovered the man was behind on his payments.
Yet a quick look around his apartment revealed that he had a number of uncashed pension cheques “in the area of thousands of dollars,” said Staff Sgt. Kerry Panton, who supervises the officers’ shift,
A Watch.
The officers got the man to write out a cheque to B.C. Hydro, deposited his pension money in the bank for him, paid his bill and arranged for a victims services worker to sit with him until an emergency crew restored the power.
The following night, the officers went back to check on the man, and took him some groceries.
“He was cosy,” Panton said.
Meanwhile, police alerted agencies to make sure someone checks on the man and determines if it is safe for him to be living alone, and to ensure he receives proper care.
Panton praised his officers’ compassionate and “outstanding” work on the file.
“It’s what we often do — the side that people don’t see,” he said.
Police hope to find the man’s family. But if they are unsuccessful, he will not be forgotten over the holiday, Panton said. “If he’s alone on Christmas night,
A Watch is working again, so we’ll make sure he’s got Christmas dinner.”
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
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