Officer Lucy-- Paying It Forward

Abingdon Police Department

For Immediate Release

On Friday, April 28th, Officer Eric Lucy was dispatched to the 300 block of Towne Centre Drive in reference to a family, with small children, panhandling in the parking lot. As Officer Lucy approached the family, he realized that they did not speak English. After communicating with them in both French and Spanish, Officer Lucy determined that the family was on the east coast for work, when the job ended leaving the family without income.  The family was traveling back to California to reunite with other family members.  The father stated they were out of money and left with no alternative to get back to California.  The family was in need of money for food for the children and gas for their vehicle to make it to I-40 in Tennessee. 

Recognizing their need, Officer Lucy went to a nearby ATM and withdrew $50.00 from his own account so that the family could make it out of town without further issues and find a more favorable location.  Before departing, Officer Lucy advised the family of the prohibitions against panhandling in certain areas and advised them to stay off of private property unless they had permission from the property owner.  Further, Officer Lucy provided the family with his business card in case they contacted law enforcement again and they had any questions or had a language issue when speaking with them.

The actions of Officer Lucy exemplify the term “going above and beyond.”  As an agency, we are fortunate to have Officer Lucy, and many others like him, as part of our department and our community. We are proud that Officer Lucy chose a career protecting our community and THANK him for taking this opportunity to pay kindness forward. Thank you for a job well done and a community well served.