BANGOR, Maine — Officer George Spencer was just doing his job Tuesday when he received an unexpected gift — a cup of coffee and Christmas card.
“He had never met the woman before but with a simple and kind gesture, she changed George’s day,” Sgt. Tim Cotton, spokesman for the Bangor police, said Wednesday on the department’s Facebook page. I can tell you he was touched. Her message touched me as it was written to all police officers.”
Spencer was at the Bangor Mall on Tuesday to deal with a shoplifting complaint, the Facebook post said. When he came outside, the woman was waiting beside his cruiser with the card and the coffee. She had waited for about 20 minutes.
“I wish I could do more for every officer on the force but I’m unable to because I am a broke graduate student,” the woman wrote in the card. “With all of the ‘police are bad’ crap going on in the media, I thought I’d let you know that your work doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated! Thank you for putting your lives on the line daily for my safety and protection.
“Although this isn’t much, I hope it put a smile on your face to receive free coffee,” she continued. “I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season and again, thank you for all that you do.”
Cotton posted with message and picture of Spencer holding the card Wednesday morning. National news on the day of Christmas Eve included a story about protests in Berkeley, Missouri, where overnight a police officer shot and killed an 18-year-old. Berkeley neighbors the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, where police officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown on Aug. 9, a killing that fueled criticism of the way police and the criminal justice system treat minority groups, according to Reuters.
“The coffee was a bonus to be enjoyed while Officer Spencer reflected on the message [in the card],” Cotton said in his Facebook post. “The message was the gift.”