By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Two Phoenix police officers responded to reports of a scam that left a father penniless days before his 2-year-old daughter’s birthday—then used their own money to buy her toys and a bike, moving him to tears.
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The scam
A Phoenix man called police after scammers stole hundreds of dollars from his paycheck, leaving him without any money. The officers who responded to the scam heard his story—and decided to do more than take a report.
Officers Alessandro Figuccio and Tanner Schnieder, partners at the Phoenix Police Department’s Cactus Park Precinct, have worked together for about a year. Their paths to policing were different: Figuccio said becoming an officer was a childhood dream, while Schnieder was a truck driver before he decided to change careers.
About two months ago, the officers reviewed their call log when they saw a call that stood out. The man reported he worked for DoorDash and had received a call that appeared to come from the company, Figuccio said. The caller told him his account had been deactivated and directed him to enter a code at a kiosk to reactivate it. Soon after, the man’s last paycheck was gone.
When the officers arrived, the man told them he had just paid his rent and car payment and had nothing left, Figuccio said. His daughter’s birthday was the next day.
“He had his daughter sitting there in a high chair eating, and he’s just starting to break down to us,” Schnieder said. “And I look in and I see his daughter, and then it hits me.”
“It’s rewarding”
The officers left and went to a store, where they filled a cart with clothes and toys. They also picked out a small pink bicycle with tassels for the girl to ride when she gets older.
“We just started throwing stuff in the cart,” Schnieder said. “We’re like, dude, if I was his kid’s daughter, I’d be happy as heck.”
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The officers paid for the items themselves and brought them back to the family’s home. Schnieder said the man began to cry when he saw the bicycle.
“It’s rewarding, especially since I knew he had, like, no money left,” Figuccio said.
For Schnieder, the gesture was personal. He said his family had been in a difficult position before, and he wanted to help someone who needed it.
The officers’ response was a small act of kindness in a difficult moment—and, they said, another way to serve their community together.
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