Going above and beyond the call of duty, one Florida officer helped a man get a clean shave so he could land a job. The act of kindness was caught on camera and shared on social media.
Tallahassee Police Officer Tony Carlson said he noticed a man having some issues with his razor outside of a gas station on Sunday.
“He asked me if I knew anything about fixing a razor cause it was broken,” said Officer Carlson in a video posted on Monday. “I looked at it and it was missing a screw. Obviously, I didn’t have another screw so I just tighten up the other one to the point it would work.”
The man, whom Carlson identified only as Phil, was homeless. He told the officer he needed to shave so he could get a job at a local fast food restaurant. Now with the working razor, Phil tried shaving, but without a mirror, it was hard to do. So Officer Carlson shaved his beard for him.
Greg Wallenfelsz happened to be at the gas station as the scene was unfolding, and he captured it on video.
“I thought it would be nice to share with others this selfless act of kindness this officer showed this stranger,” he told CNN.
Kelly Duvall’s daughter also took a picture outside the gas station, and Kelly shared it on social media and with the police department.
“One officer’s simple act of kindness is touching so many lives, it is amazing,” Duvall told CNN.
After seeing the video on social media, local radio personality Greg Tish caught up with Phil on Sunday to talk about it.
“The lady told me if I can show up Monday clean with my beard cut off, they’ll promise me a job,” Phil said in the video. “I was out here trying to shave, but I can’t see cause I don’t have a mirror, so the Tallahassee Police Department shaved me up the rest of the way.”
People are praising the officer on social media, but Carlson said he was just doing his job by helping others.
“This isn’t … something spectacular,” said Officer Carlson. “It happens all the time. It just so happens that this time someone caught it on film.”