Instead of writing ticket, Ohio officers take different approach with woman found panhandling



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Some Cleveland police officers went above and beyond to help a woman in need.

According to Cleveland police, patrol officers Nicole Corea and Scott Eubanks-Travis were working Monday night, February 15th when they saw Beverly Coats asking for money near I-90 and East 152nd Street.

They stopped to talk to her and found out she needed money for food for her two children.

Coats' daughters are nine and 11 years old.

Sergeant Tim Maffo-Judd called around and arranged for the officers to pick up meals for the family.

Cleveland police say, in this case, it would have been possible for the officers to give the woman a citation for panhandling, but they didn't.

"The officers took the time to come to understand why she was out asking for money. They showed extreme care and compassion for her difficult situation and were able to help her to feed her family. A great job by all and a special thanks to the good people of St. Herman's (which provided the meals) for joining our officers in aiding this citizen."