Going Beyond the Call with Protein Shakes and Spiritual Guidance

The harsh reality of policing is that we often encounter people in their most difficult moments. Those moments may have resulted from a traumatic event, being victimized or responsible for a crime, struggling with substance use disorders, managing a mental health condition, or having issues finding housing. In the case of one Cambridge man in his 50s (whose actual name isn’t being released to protect his privacy), “Joe” has nearly experienced it all. He is well-known to the Cambridge Police, as there have been over 80 police-related reports involving him over the last 15+ years.

While our outreach officers were on a walking route in Central Square earlier this week, they connected with Joe and he informed them of his deteriorating health. He reportedly was diagnosed with terminal cancer and only has months to live. Restricted to a liquid diet, Joe notified officers that his medical coverage for his protein shakes had been recently denied and he did not have any more shakes at his residence. Since they have worked so closely with him over the years and have gotten to know him well, our officers wanted to fully support him during this time of need. While a local service provider worked on reinstating his medical coverage, CPD officers chipped in to purchase and pick up a box of protein shakes (strawberry flavored– his favorite) at a local wholesale retailer. They then delivered them to the service provider, so Joe could pick them up. Furthermore, they started plans to connect Joe with a CPD chaplain for spiritual guidance, as the outreach team wants to make sure Joe doesn’t feel alone during such a time of need.

This level of care and compassion is something our officers and staff take great pride in and reflects another way we are striving to best support our residents.