The hero being honored Friday is a Los Angeles school police officer who doesn't just "talk the talk" when it comes to keeping students safe. In one particular instance, he rolled up his sleeves and walked tons of trash away from a homeless camp that was near an elementary school.
Los Angeles School Police Officer Sergent Lenny Boen got a call from Stoner Elementary School in Culver City and came to the rescue.
"They were concerned," Boen said because there were transients living behind the school. "We wanted to be compassionate toward them."
He provided resources to find them help.
"They packed up their stuff but they left a lot of trash," said Boen. Including clothing, backpacks, blankets, and mattresses.
Boen said the garbage was all over the place and he had to physically pick it up and move it away.
His actions caught the attention of his fellow officers who put his story on social media.
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"I was like you picked up everything on your own and he was like 'yeah,'" said Sandy Romero, Los Angeles School Police Officer.
Boen worked for eight hours over three days to clear the mess for the kids.
"It would just be so much, it would be a really big project and if I wasn't going to do it I didn't think anyone was going to do it," Boen said.
"This goes to show the commitment the people who work with us hand and hand with administrators that we have a safe place that students can learn and where they feel safe," said Romero.
When Boen finished his part he called sanitation. They're scheduled to be at the school Monday to clear the trash.
"That's one of the things that we love to do is to provide a great school environment for these kids to where they can be proud of their school and if I can do that for them, that's one of the best things I can do," Boen said.
