Police Officer Caught in Random Act of Kindness, Internet Falls in Love

When Deputy Bruce Pierson decided to help a homeless Temecula woman who was down on her luck, he didn’t do it for fame or glory.

“It was the right thing as a human being to do,” he tells Patch of an incident that’s quickly gaining viral attention on the internet, thanks to a Facebook posting by a local man who spotted the deputy in the action of helping.

On Sunday, Pierson says he was on duty at the Promenade Temecula Mall when the entire incident began to unfold, starting with a call for a possible crime in progress.

“When I first got the call, it was regarding two homeless people walking through the parking lot,” he told Patch. “It looked like they were possibly casing vehicles.”

But when the deputy took the time to speak with the woman, he learned there was more to her story and situation.

“I met with the couple and the [other officer on duty] and we explained why they couldn’t be out there,” he said. “And she looked at me and said ‘I wasn’t casing vehicles.’ And then she lifted her feet up.”

Pierson said that it was immediately clear that she had been looking for something for her feet.

“You could tell she hadn’t had a shower or shoes in a long time,” he said.

At that point, rather than leaving the case alone, the deputy decided he could help and he took the woman over to the local Payless store.

“I asked her to go ahead and pick out any shoes she wanted,” he said.

While he was there, some local residents spotted the deputy and asked if they, too, could help, according to Pierson. Joshuah Rounds and his wife, who posted the now-viral photos of the deputy making his purchase, and another unnamed woman helped the homeless lady obtain two pairs of shoes, socks and a scarf.

Here’s part of what Rounds posted to Facebook following the incident, along with the above photos:

“Today while shopping at the mall, a police officer walked in with a young lady that had no shoes on. I asked the officer if he was buying her a pair of shoes and he said yes. So we decided to offer another pair of shoes for her. She started crying and told us that she was homeless and hadn’t had shoes in over 2 months. It was clear she was telling the truth...

...She was so thankful she couldn’t stop crying. So thankful we could help her and so glad the police officer on duty took time out of his day to go in the mall with her and buy her things we take such granted for. So thankful our city is filled with helpful police officers...

And the deputy didn’t stop with the shoes. He tells Patch he had the lady meet him at the mall the next day, where he handed her a large bag full of clothing and shoes from his wife. He’s also put the couple in contact with Project Touch, a local homeless outreach organization.

Within two days of this good deed, Pierson’s story has been shared nearly 65,000 times via the original Facebook post. The deputy says both he and his wife have been hearing about the incident non-stop from a community that’s clearly been touched by his actions, including his captain.

“I was very proud,” Captain Jeffrey Kubel tells Patch of the moment he saw the viral photos. “Law enforcement can take a beating sometimes in the media,... It’s nice when you see things that are done, in my opinion every day, and the public gets a glimpse of that as well.”

As for Pierson, he isn’t letting the viral post go to his head and shies away from the personal attention.

“I think any one of my fellow brothers and sisters at the Temecula Police Department would have done the same thing,” he tells Patch. ”We go out every day to serve.”

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(Photos via Joshuah Rounds on Facebook)