MESA, AZ — Mesa Police officer Patrick Kreuzer is used to patrolling the streets; it's something he's done for more than a decade. But this past year, he's taken on a different mission.
"Since I'm a veteran," Kreuzer explains, "I would see other veterans on the street. I'm trying to figure out how long they were on the street, what put them on the street, and work my way backwards from there."
And it's not just veterans. Officer Kreuzer has opened his heart to all of Mesa's homeless, connecting them to resources to turn their lives around, and filling in the gaps where others couldn't.
"I got with several 'squadmates' and we pooled money together to get hotel rooms, food, clothing - whatever they need so they could get by for a few days until the resources on the back end could take over," he explained.
Officer Kreuzer even brokered a deal with a nearby hotel, getting the manager to offer discounted rooms so he could continue to dip into his own pockets and give these people a roof over their heads.
"This is the perfect example of someone who takes his job and just goes way above and beyond and it's really impacting the community by what he's doing, explains Irene Mahoney with the Mesa Police Department.
All around us in the Valley, people go above and beyond to help make our community even better. We want to know who they are! Nominate someone today and tell us why they should be one of Nick's Heroes. They could win a $500 gift card from our friends at Valley Toyota Dealers.
