{"id":340,"date":"2023-07-05T15:02:03","date_gmt":"2023-07-05T15:02:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=340"},"modified":"2023-07-05T15:02:03","modified_gmt":"2023-07-05T15:02:03","slug":"cop-stops-writing-panhandling-vagrant-a-ticket-orders-him-into-cruiser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=340","title":{"rendered":"Cop Stops Writing Panhandling Vagrant A Ticket, Orders Him Into Cruiser"},"content":{"rendered":"

A cop was going to give a familiar vagrant a ticket for panhandling, so he asked for his ID. When the conversation took an unexpected turn, the officer ordered the man into his cruiser.\u00a0The homeless man was shocked to see where he was going.<\/h3>\n
\"Deputy
Deputy Jacob Swalwell (Photo Credit: Screen capture\/ABC7<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Deputy Jacob Swalwell with the\u00a0Alameda County Sheriff\u2019s Office knew he had to issue a ticket after he saw an older man panhandling for money along one of Hayward, California\u2019s busiest freeway off-ramps. As Swalwell explained to\u00a0ABC 7<\/a>, he had seen the same guy out there begging for money for a couple of years, and it presented a problem.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a safety issue, and that was more of a concern than the panhandling,\u201d Swalwell explained. So, planning to write the man a ticket, he approached and asked for ID. The 66-year-old man identified himself as Michael Myers and said he was a lifelong Alameda County resident,\u00a0but he didn\u2019t have an ID to show the deputy.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Michael \u201cMick\u201d Myers (Photo Credit: Screen capture\/ABC7<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the conversation taking an unexpected turn, Swalwell was about to learn a whole lot more about this panhandling vagrant. Although he had intended to write a ticket, what the deputy discovered had him ordering Michael, who goes by \u201cMick<\/a>\u201c, into his cruiser instead.\u00a0\u201cGot to know him pretty quickly, and realized that a citation\u2019s not what this man needs,\u201d Swalwell said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

A bad accident had left Mick, a former truck driver, disabled. After breaking his back, he spent a year in a wheelchair and another on crutches. He couldn\u2019t drive a truck anymore, but he tried to return to work. First, he attempted manufacturing, then food service, but being on his feet and lifting caused too much pain.\u00a0\u201cWhen you have a serious broken-back injury, you never really recover from it,\u201d Mick said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mick had taken to panhandling to survive. (Photo Credit: Screen capture\/ABC7<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mick panhandled on busy city corners to survive, developing a routine. Working his way around the intersection, he gathered five to ten dollars, just enough to get a meal. Then, he walked to a nearby McDonald\u2019s or Wendy\u2019s and used the money to get a bite to eat.\u00a0\u201cHe does it three times a day,\u201d Swalwell said. \u201cHe\u2019s not panhandling for alcohol or drugs \u2014 he\u2019s panhandling to stay alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Realizing that begging for money and eating fast food had become Mick\u2019s daily existence, Swalwell asked him one simple question. The answer changed both their lives. \u201c\u2018What\u2019s it gonna take to get you off the street?\u2019 I said, \u2018Well, a government check would do it, but I can\u2019t seem to get one,’\u201d Mick revealed, recalling his conversation with the deputy.<\/p>\n

\"Deputy
Deputy Jacob Swalwell (Photo Credit: Screen capture\/ABC7<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mick needed a state-issued ID to get benefits, and as Swalwell already knew, the man didn\u2019t have one. In fact, Mick hadn\u2019t had an ID in years\u00a0\u2014 not since he quit driving truck. Luckily, Swalwell knew what to do. After telling Mick to get in his cruiser, he drove him to the DMV, but there, they encountered another hurdle.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t exist anymore,\u201d Mick said after receiving shocking news from the Department of Motor Vehicles.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m no longer in the system.\u201d According to the DMV, the man didn\u2019t exist, and that presented a new challenge in getting Mick off the streets. Luckily, the kindhearted deputy was undeterred.<\/p>\n