Each day, when scouring over the vast wasteland of horribles on the Internet for something - anything - that might resonate as "Feel Good News," I always love it when I discover something above and beyond the call of duty done by police officers. It's even better when they're right here at home, or at least, really close to home.

Never mind the fact that working on New Year's eve is a huge bummer no matter what job you do, but it must be particularly stressful as a police officer, knowing how many crazies are out partying and potentially up to no good. That being said, not everyone the police encounter are criminals. Let's not forget "protecting and serving" the community goes way beyond just arresting people breaking the law. Sometimes it's about simply assisting a community member in need.

Such is the case in Denver, where on New Year's eve, an officer with the Denver Police Department was sent on a standard call for a noise complaint. Officer Melissa Martin was the one who got the call.

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When Officer Martin arrived on the scene, she encountered a woman who had seen better times. The woman has just gotten out of an abusive relationship and was in her first apartment on her own.

When she confronted the woman, Officer Martin learned that the woman struggled with some mental health and substance abuse issues. But that's not what stood out to the caring officer.

The woman told her that she hadn't eaten for four or five days. Officer Martin looked in the woman's refrigerator and confirmed that - in fact - there was nothing in it.

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After determining the woman wasn't a threat to herself or anyone else, and hadn't broken any laws, the officer's intuition as a human kicked in over her position in law enforcement. She simply went out and purchased a week's worth of groceries to help the woman out, with her own money.

For her kindness and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty as a police officer, on January 12th she was given an award by the nonprofit organization called "Citizens Appreciate Police," which recognizes local police officers who go "above and beyond the regular call of duty" to serve the community.

Even cooler, Officer Martin is in rare company. The organization was founded in 1978 and since then, only just more than 200 Denver officers have received the CAP Award.

Next time you see those red and blues flashing in your rear view mirror, remember that at the end of the day, the cops are people too!

Which reminds me... did you you know that we're just a month away from Random Acts of Kindness Day? To get ready for this year, here's a list of things you can do from last year.

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