'Job Well Done': Police Responding to Public Indecency Call End Up Going Shopping for Suspect
You never know what you’re going to see on Halloween. It’s the one day of the year that going all out and dressing up like familiar or shocking characters is embraced and celebrated.
But locals in one area of Atlanta got a different sort of scare when they encountered a man dressed in clothes far too small for his frame, resulting in a multitude of indecent exposure calls.
Officer Nguyen and trainee Officer Prophete with the Atlanta Police Department responded and found the man wearing jean cut-offs and a shirt that were so ill-fitting that the resulting bodycam footage had to be blurred.
The man wasn’t acting confrontationally and responded politely when the officers started asking him questions.
“Why’s your pants down, man?” Nguyen can be heard asking in the recording.
“That’s as far as they go,” the man responded.
“You can’t be walking around like that, boss,” Nguyen said.
The officers soon learned that the man didn’t have any other clothes with him. He said he’d go get more clothes “downtown,” but that was too far, and the officer proposed a different solution.
“Recognizing that the issue could be better addressed with empathy rather than police action, Officer Nguyen made an in the moment decision to purchase clothes and shoes for the male,” the Atlanta Police Department posted.
“Once the mild mannered and grateful man was fully dressed in his new shirt, pants, and shoes, he was on his way, and the officers drove off to wait for the next call. Newly sworn, Ofc. Prophete, had a different kind of training day, witnessing what it means to be an APD officer in real time.”
Nguyen had purchased sweatpants, a sweatshirt and lined sandals from Walmart for the man, who appeared thankful for the gesture. After he’d put on his new clothes, the officers charged him to keep on the straight and narrow.
“I did you this favor, I don’t need you walking butt-naked around here, man, we got kids around here,” Nguyen said, explaining that there was also a school nearby.
“Please take care of yourself, OK?” he said. “And try to keep your clothes on. Be safe.”
The Atlanta Police Department took the opportunity to share the story and commend its kind officer publicly.
“We could not be prouder of Ofc. Nguyen,” the department wrote. “He demonstrated not only his professional training, but innate compassion and concern for a fellow human being.
“We are fortunate to have Ofc. Nguyen and a cadre of officers, supervisors and commanders who dedicate their lives to public safety, put their lives on the line to fight crime, and who also care about the community they serve. Job well done!”
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