Amidst negative police officer news released over the past few months, it was nice to have an Everyday Heroes article in Friday’s paper about two Water Valley cops who helped a homeless couple find a warm place to stay over the weekend.

Officers Justin Mayer and Austin Tallent paid for a hotel room for a homeless couple who could not find a place to stay at local shelters. Because of the two officers, the couple was given a warm place to stay on what had been a very cold night.

“I could have bought Christmas gifts,” Tallent said. “I could have bought a new light I’ve been wanting for work, but I realized my wants are not as important as someone else’s needs.”

Policemen are tasked with helping and protecting those in need. Mayer and Tallent went above and beyond their duties in renting a hotel room for the homeless couple, bringing them out of the harsh winter weather and into safe and warm conditions.

We are proud of Mayer and Tallent, their faithfulness to the people of Water Valley and their willingness to serve and give back to their community.

It takes great courage to put one’s self on the line to protect others, and this is exactly what these officers do each and every day. We are impressed by the officers’ empathy in putting another person’s needs above their wants. We could all learn a lesson or two about how to take care of our neighbors from Mayer and Tallent during this Christmas season.

We stand by our policeman and thank them for their service to our community and us. The next time you’re stopped for speeding or given a parking ticket, we encourage you to think about the important role police officers play in our community, in keeping you and your neighbors safe and free from harm. Think about anything you can do that would make their job easier — whether it’s throwing your garbage away in a trash can rather than chunking it out the window or making sure you’ve got a taxi to take you home after a night out.

Any little thing you can do to make our community safer for its residents will give policemen more time to go above and beyond their line of duty — just as Mayer and Tallent have this winter season.