Before leaving his job in Brooklyn, Brian Peters had one thing he wanted to do on his last day—say thank you to the city he loves. Peters decided to use the money he made for a day’s work, as well as the $10 per year he earned for his service, to give back to his community.
“I’ve got nothing but good things from the city and the citizens,” Peters said. “I take what I make in a day and add that $120 that the police association was going to give me, and I’ll just add it up to $500 and get some gift cards for people.” So after fourteen years serving as a police officer, Peters spent his last day doing that. Using his own money, Peters purchased five gift cards from Target and five gift cards from the grocery chain Cub Foods worth $50 each and handed them out to strangers in Brooklyn Center.
It took him about two hours to give away the cards and that he could put smiles on a lot of people’s faces, including one woman he stopped after noticing the condition of her car. “Her car was really old and really damaged. I saw her windshield wipers were stuck in the up position,” Peters recalled. “I explained what I was doing and gave her a gift card, and immediately, she lit up with a smile.”
Once people overcame the initial shock of what he was doing, Peters said he received a lot more hugs that day. Monique Drier, who stayed with Peters, said Peters has always wanted to give back and didn’t really want the attention. “He didn’t even have a going away party,” Drier said. “He wants something in the community. He has always tried to remember the human side of law enforcement. He was a great policeman and will be dearly missed.”
Peters, who started his new job three days ago, said he still wants to continue giving back to the community. “Community service is extremely important, and when you’re fortunate in life, you should give back to others who aren’t as fortunate as you,” Peters said. “That’s what makes the world go round.”
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