A Massachusetts police officer is being honored for giving and forgiving this holiday season, after responding to a shop robbery call at a local supermarket. Somerset Police Officer Matthew Lima says one of the most common calls is in retail stores of store robbery. „People can be stealing any number of items, ranging from $ 10 to thousands of dollars,“ says Lima. „You really don’t know what to expect until you get there.“ Five days before Christmas, Lima answered a criminal call for help. “It was a bit different from the get-go program because not a lot of people engage in that kind of behavior with their young children there,” Lima said. Losses and prevention at the local Stop and Shop supermarket alleged that two women with two children were only wiping some items upon self checkout, but they were just putting everything in their cart. „I noticed it was all grocery items, so they were all consumable food,“ Lima said. The police officer suspected that it might be due to necessity and asked the woman. „She stated that it clearly goes without saying that times are tough for a lot of people, that she was working but not enough and not making enough money and that there are some other family issues going on and that she just wants to give Christmas dinner to the children.“ He says he has two children around the same age. Lima issued the women trespassing notice but decided not to press charges. After he had escorted them out, Officer Lima returned to the grocery store. „I just made the decision that I was going to buy gift cards and they could go to a different store and buy Christmas dinner for their girls,“ Lima said. That night, Officer Lima gave the two women the gift of dignity, but he also gave them little of what he learned this year. „We have the capacity to adapt to many things,“ Lima said. „But also, we just need to be there for each other and be there for our neighbors.“ He told Lima his story not for the sake of attention, but because he thinks so many officers and so many citizens do the same thing daily that he thinks is an important message to convey.
A Massachusetts police officer is being honored for giving and forgiving this holiday season, after responding to a shop robbery call at a local supermarket.
Somerset Police Officer Matthew Lima says the most common calls are in retail stores of store robbery.
„People can be stealing any number of items, anywhere from $ 10 to thousands of dollars,“ Lima says. „You really don’t know what to expect until you get there.“
Five days before Christmas, Lima responded to a criminal cry for help.
„It was a little different from the beginning because not many people share this type of behavior with their young children there,“ Lima said.
Losses and prevention at the local Stop and Shop supermarket alleged that two women with two children were only wiping some items upon self checkout, but they were just putting everything in their cart.
„I noticed it was all grocery items, so they were all consumable food,“ Lima said.
The police officer suspected that it might be due to necessity and asked the woman.
„She stated that it clearly goes without saying that times are tough for a lot of people, that she was working but not enough and not making enough money and that there are some other family issues going on and that she just wants to give Christmas dinner to the children.“
He says he has two children around the same age.
Lima issued the women trespassing notice but decided not to press charges.
After he had escorted them out, Officer Lima returned to the grocery store.
„I just made the decision that I was going to buy gift cards and they could go to a different store and buy Christmas dinner for their girls,“ Lima said.
That night, Officer Lima gave the two women the gift of dignity, but he also gave them little of what he learned this year.
„We have the capacity to adapt to many things,“ Lima said. „But also, we just need to be there for each other and be there for our neighbors.“
Lima told his story not to attract attention, but because he believes that many officers and many citizens do the same thing daily and believes that it is an important message that must be conveyed.
