Police are often called to the scene of a crime to arrest shoplifters, but they don’t often flip standard protocol to help the suspects out. When two officers responded to a call from a Kansas Wal-Mart, the situation wasn’t what they expected.

A young boy was caught trying to shoplift a pair of work boots and was being held at the store. When the officers arrived and began questioning him, they learned he lives in a group home as part of the juvenile justice system. The boy told them he was stealing the boots so that he could get a job.

Rather than arrest him, Officer Suffield and Officer Snepp of the Roeland Park Police Department decided to buy the boots for him. They gave him a pep talk about staying in school, finding a job, and keeping out of trouble.

When the group home supervisor arrived to pick him up, the kid was in tears, touched by the kindness of the officers. Chief John Morris was also moved by the encounter and posted the details on Facebook. In it, he shared a photo of the pair and praised the two officers for their actions:

“Just another reason why I am so proud of my officers here in Roeland Park. I just smiled when I heard this story a short time ago as it almost made me cry too.

Congrats to Officer Suffield and Officer Snepp for making another difference in RP and for a job well done….

-Chief”

According to the post, one of the officers is a rookie who will begin training at the police academy next month. So far, it looks like he’s getting a wonderful introduction to what it is like to be a part this department.

It is not the first time a Roeland Park officer made headlines for doing a good deed. It just so happens that a woman was caught stealing from this same Wal-Mart three years ago. In that case, the responding officer was heartbroken when he heard the story of a mom and her teen daughter.

With them was a set of 2-year-old twins and a 4-year-old who were all barefoot. The two were trying to steal shoes, diapers, wipes, and other essentials worth about $300 from the Roeland Park store. The family was homeless and living out of a car.

He wound up buying shoes for the little ones as well as diapers and wipes. After that story went viral, the police department was inundated with hundreds of calls from people who wanted to help the family. They eventually found a place to stay and had food to eat.

It seems this town’s police force is also a force of compassion in their community. Maybe a second chance is just what this young man needed to get set for his future.

What do you think of this story? Do the police in your town do nice things like this – for suspects? Would you have acted in the same manner if you were a cop?