A Salute To UPD Investigator Dodge: Thanks For Being Awesome

Too often we hear about members of law enforcement committing actual or, sometimes perceived, wrongs. 'They shoulda done this, why didn't they do that , cops don't care about the people they serve...' And, it goes on, you've heard this, I know.

There are some 'bad' cops, no doubt. But, there's a ton of awesome ones, too.

An Upstate NY cop handled a recent theft case by doing something not included in any police handbooks.

After this little girl got her bicycle stolen, Utica Police Department Investigator Jessica Dodge returned to the young victim's home with some good news and some bad news.

Cops hadn't found her bike, but it just so happens Investigator Dodge came across one that was EYE....DEN-ICLE (I'm channeling the prosecutor in the movie My Cousin Vinny here)...identical to the one that was stolen.

You might call it a little sunshine to dry up the rain.

You can see from the photos below that the young girl was more than excited about this development in the case! UPD shared the mother's initial post on Facebook thanking the investigator for doing something she really didn't have to:

It should also be mentioned, individual members of the UPD have done this before. Just recently, after a similarly mind-scratching and pathetic case involving someone who thought it would be great to steal something from a child (see below), it was members the department who wanted to return a smile to a young child's face.

In this particular case in July, it was reported that a group of teens approached a young girl, asked to 'try' her brand new bike, then road off and kept riding.

How effing cruel you asses!?!?!?!

And it was four days after the little girl got her bike as a birthday gift. To try and bring a little sunshine to a little girl who had become a victim of crime, UPD Deputy Chief Edward Noonan and Police Officer Sanel Beslic wen to their own homes and retrieved bicycles for her.

Hats off to investigator Dodge. And to Deputy Chief Noonan and Officer Beslic, too.

Also, if you're not a cop and made it all the way to the bottom of this story to read about something GOOD a cop did, I say cheers to you, too!