At 3:07 AM, Officer James Trent responded to a report of a suspicious person near Oakridge and Fifth. Instead of a threat, he found Margaret, an 88-year-old woman, wandering barefoot in her nightgown, disoriented and frightened.
Turning off his siren and lights, Trent sat beside her on the cold sidewalk, gently holding her hand. “You’re not alone, okay?” he said. Margaret, suffering from dementia, shared memories of her childhood and late husband as he listened patiently.
When her daughter arrived, tearful and relieved, she thanked him. Trent simply replied that sometimes the greatest duty is compassion.
