Officers Pay for Food Instead of Making a Shoplifting Arrest

Confronting a shoplifting suspect at a Whole Foods in Manhattan, three New York police officers assessed the situation. Security officers had detained the woman and pointed out groceries in her shopping bag that they said she hadn't paid for. After conferring among themselves, the officers made their call: They paid for the food and let the woman, who broke into tears at the gesture, go. "It was a nice moment for, you know, people—it was compassionate and the woman obviously was really grateful," a customer said, per ABC11.

Their boss agreed, per Fox News. "Cops like Lt. Sojo and Officers Cuevas and Rivera of the Strategic Response Group are the kind-hearted cops who quietly do good deeds for New Yorkers in need,” Police Chief Terence Monahan later tweeted. The officers already were in the store when security detained the woman, buying their lunches. (More random acts of kindness stories.)