NYPD Officer Secretly Captured Being Kind to a Barefoot Homeless Man

photo by Jennifer Foster

On November 14, 2012, Arizona resident Jennifer Foster was visiting New York City’s Times Square and secretly captured a shot of NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo giving a barefoot homeless man a pair of boots. She shared the photo with NYPD and they posted it on Facebook. It has since gone viral, being shared on Facebook many thousands of times by people and it has been picked up as a news item all over the world. Officer DePrimo is quoted as saying, “I didn’t think anything of it.”

Foster wrote this about her experience:

I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let’s put them on and take care of you.’ The officer squatted down on the ground and proceeded to put socks and the new boots on this man. The officer expected NOTHING in return and did not know I was watching*. I have been in law enforcement for 17 years. I was never so impressed in my life. I did not get the officer’s name. It is important, I think, for all of us to remember the real reason we are in this line of work. The reminder this officer gave to our profession in his presentation of human kindness has not been lost on myself or any of the Arizona law enforcement officials with whom this story has been shared.

Police Officer Larry DePrimo (seen here in 2011, when he was assigned to Midtown South Impact).

Here’s an update on the homeless man Jeffrey Hillman, who is now walking around barefoot again.

image via NYPD

Thanks David Klass!