LAKEVIEW — A simple act of kindness can go a long way.
That's what happened when a Chicago Police sergeant from the 19th District was spotted purchasing a meal for a homeless man in Lakeview Thursday.
That woman, Rachel Mitchell, posted the story and some photos to Facebook, according to a later post by country music station Big 95.5. As of Saturday the post had over 1,800 shares and 4,500 likes on the Big 95.5 page, and the story had been in turned shared on the Chicago Police Department Facebook page, with over 3,300 shares and almost 9,000 likes. Commenters on the posts shared dozens of stories of police officers doing good deeds.
According to Chicago Police, Sergeant B. Hagarty was eating lunch at Chipotle, 1025 W. Belmont Ave. during his Thursday shift by himself when he saw a young man "dumpster diving" outside the restaurant.
"Through the glass he asked the man if he was hungry," said the Facebook post attributed to Rachel Mitchell. "The man nodded yes, and the cop motioned for him to come inside. The cop told him to set what belongings he had next to him and told him to order what he wanted because he would pay for it."
The post continued, "They stood in line together and at the end the cop paid for the man’s meal. A simple hand shake was exchanged between them and they parted ways like it was no big deal."
Chicago Police said Hagarty, who had spent 35 years on the job and is a lifelong Chicagoan, was aware that the story had been posted to Facebook , but he didn't know it gained so much traction after hitting the Big 95.5 page.
"He did not think he had done anything out of the ordinary. He did not want to brag about what he had done," the Chicago Police post said.
Hagarty said that as he walked out, a young woman approached him to say that he had made her day.
Chicago Police wrote, "Sergeant Hagarty we thank you for leading the Chicago Police Department by example."
The post added that Hagarty plans to retire before the end of the year "and will be missed."
"With all the [crap] police are getting these days it reminds me there's so much more good out there than anyone ever wants to give credit," the post attributed to Rachel Mitchell read. "If everyone did something simple like this every day the world would be a better place."
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