Sometimes there are good-cop stories

A few months back I told you a cute story about a good local cop.

Here are a few additional local cop tales. Wish more could be like this:

Not long ago one of the nearby town cops took the initiative to close off a two-lane state highway. A mama raccoon was crossing the road with a line of tiny babies. Said cop angled his cruiser across both lanes and kept his lights flashing until the little family made it into the underbrush on the other side.

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Last year, a teenage girl who felt unwanted by both her screwed-up, druggie (and divorced) parents, committed suicide. The father, who probably did love her in his way, went on a rampage when he learned she was dead. He acted crazy and threatened mayhem. The same cop, alone, ran up behind him, grabbed him around the upper arms and chest, and subdued him simply by saying, “M., calm down.” No tasers. No SWAT teams. Not even a call for armed backup. Just the calm voice of a sensible human being.

Of course he took him to jail, too. But this does seem like one of those times jail could have provided a “time-out” to benefit everyone.

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For the last month, a homeless woman has been living in her car and sleeping in a tent just outside of town. The town cops and sheriff’s deputies have been keeping an eye on her. Actually keeping an eye. Not hassling her. Not trying to run her off. Not busting her on some pseudo-charge.

One of the cops — and all of these stories are of the same cop — went to his mother, told her about the situation, and even asked her to go introduce herself to the woman. She did. Turns out the woman will soon be getting into a subsidized apartment, but can’t work because of illness. So today, thanks to that cop and his kind mother, the call went out for used goods to help furnish the homeless lady’s soon-to-be-home.