In recent years, police officers in the USA have acquired a bad name for themselves amongst certain circles. Excessive brutality and unlawful use of firearms from individuals - especially against minorities - has led to the police force as a whole getting labelled as a bad group of people, and it's an image that's very hard to shake off.

Every now and then, however, a cop does something which proves that there certainly are some good eggs amongst them.

Last week, Facebook user Seth Kazz shared an image of a police officer - since identified as Officer Todd Bing - bending down to speak to someone in their car at a gas station. Along with the picture, Kazz provided an explanation about what had just gone down between the pair - and it's a heart-warming story, to say the least.

"An elderly woman came into my station today and gave me $3 in change to put on her gas pump," Kazz wrote.

"A police officer was standing behind her and happened to hear the amount and saw she was using a cane, struggling to walk back to her car. He went outside and told her to sit in the car as he would pump the gas for her.

"After a few minutes of getting to know one another he realized she was really struggling and didn’t have any gas or money left. The $3 will only get her so far. He told her to hang tight- came inside and put her another $20 out of his pocket. He went back and finished pumping and she told him her husband had recently passed away and she’s stuck paying all their bills and is behind every month.

"This $20 really helped her! She would of most likely ended up running out of gas."

Kazz then went on to say that, despite the bad press that the police get these days, there are still good people on the force.

"Nowadays there’s so much negativity towards police officers. No one respects them. We hear all the complaints and 'bad' stories.

"I’m not saying every officer is perfect, I’m sure some are at fault at times. We all make mistakes- but we should all respect, appreciate, and thank them for what they do.

"Leaving your family everyday to try and make sure everyone’s else’s is safe can be tough. Think about it- who do you call when you’re in danger? Who’s running in harms way as you’re running away?

"To all the men and women in blue I THANK YOU for your service!"

The gas station owner also noted at the bottom of the post that the elderly woman did not actually own the car, and it was being loaned to her in order to help her get around.

Kazz also provided a link to a GoFundMe that has since been set up for the woman since the post went viral, and, at the time of writing, it's already raised more than $7,700.

It just goes to show that one small act of kindness can cause a snowball effect, inspiring others to come forward and perform their own good deeds. So, to Officer Todd Bing, and, indeed, anyone else who takes time out of their day to help someone in need: thank you!

Local law enforcement have a much easier ride with social media on their side. Previously, if they needed the public's help in tracking someone down, they would have to rely on maybe some local news coverage or posters shared around town that could be easily missed.

Nowadays, police departments can simply upload a photo of a suspect and any information they have on them onto Facebook, asking the community whether they've seen them. Users can share the photo or provide info, and the whole operation goes down far more smoothly. Or, at least, it's meant to...

The Police Department for Richland, Washington recently appealed to Facebook for information Anthony Akers, 38, wanted for 'Failure to Comply', but they didn't get the response they expected.

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Soon enough they did get some information - but from the perp himself. Akers himself turned up in the comment section, not shying away from admitting to his law-breaking and claiming he'd be with them soon. "Calm down, im going to turn myself in," he wrote, to the delight of other users.

But that wasn't the end of the story, as Akers didn't make it easy for the police to catch up to him. In fact, he was playing hard to get. After a few days, the 38-year-old had kept them waiting, so the police department had to comment again on the post, optimistically hoping that he'd actually turn up sometime.

Honestly, they kept their very best customer service lingo down despite getting completely ghosted, writing:

"Hey Anthony! We haven’t seen you yet. Our business hours are 8:00am – 5:00pm Monday. Of course if you need a ride you can call non-emergency and we will pick you up. [sic]"

After all that, he did get back to them, offering a vague explanation why he hadn't turned up yet. "thank you, tying up a couple loose ends since I will probably be in there a month," he commented. "Should be there in the next 48 hours."

It's strange to think of a police department patiently waiting for someone to turn themselves in while they got some errands out of the way. He may have some important life tasks to do, or he could be catching up on Game of Thrones, we'll never know. But a few days later, one commenter asked the police if he'd turned him in, and got a negative response.

That's when he gave them a lengthy response explaining his failure to turn up, and turning the situation into a fully-fledged rom-com. "Dear RPD, its not you, its me," he wrote. "I obviously have commitment issues."

"I apologize for standing you up, but let me make it up to you. I will be there no later then lunchtime tomorrow, I know you have no reason to believe me after what i did to you, but I promise that if I don’t make it on my own by lunchtime tomorrow I will call for a ride to assist me with my commitment issues.

"Thank you in advance to your response if you are patiently giving me another chance with us, I know i dont deserve it. P.S. You’re beautiful."

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If you're starting to think that this guy has clearly just legged it and gotten out of state, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find out that this has a happy ending - as he finally turned up on their doorstep... eventually.

What a beautiful love story.

The power of kindness is often underestimated - but one police officer in Minnesota was there to remind us all of the worth of a good deed this week when he decided to help an elderly woman out.

Orono cop Matt Siltala was on a routine welfare check at a resident's home on Thursday when he noticed that her yard was unkempt.

Deciding to inquire about the mess, he asked the unidentified woman why it was in that state, and she replied saying she had no one to mow it for her.

Speaking of the cops, watch heroic police dog Finn move judges to tears during auditions of Britain's Got Talent:

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Soon after, Officer Siltala had grabbed the lawnmower and cut the grass in the front yard - and was caught on camera doing so by his colleague, Officer McCoy.

The picture was uploaded to social media by the Orono Police Department and quickly went viral, with more than 2,400 likes, 400 shares and 220 comments.

In their caption, the police department wrote of their pride and named the officer's decision to help when he didn't necessarily have to as "very cool".

"I cannot say how proud stuff like this makes us," they wrote. "Officer Matt Siltala was called to this residents home on a welfare check today. She was ok and Matt asked her why her yard is so unkempt. She said she doesn't have anyone to mow for her. He grabbed her mower and cut the front yard. Very cool."

They jokingly added: "But, not sure why Officer McCoy, who took the picture, couldn't grab the trimmer... Must be a union issue..."

The image thrilled people online, who took to the comment section to express their joy. "That is wonderful ~ taking “to serve and protect” to a whole new level! ??????," wrote Patti McAninch, while Jennifer Williams Nelson added: "I love seeing this kind of stuff! Way to go Orono PD! That is awesome!".

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Betty Foss Schors also commented, claiming that love had won again. "Kindness and compassion needs to be taught from a young age. Love wins again. Thank you to the officer who took the time to help this lady out. Remember everyone you will be elderly some day," she said.

Police said in a followup comment that other people have since inquired about helping the woman with her lawn.

The story serves to remind us that whenever we're feeling bleak about the world, kindness is always there - you just have to open your eyes.

Carrying firearms and the weight of the law behind them, it makes sense that the police be held accountable for their actions, and operate in a safe and responsible manner. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case, as we have seen many acts of brutality, profiling, and other injustices committed by officers - including a recent incident in Topeka, Kansas.

David Reynolds, a 25-year-old college student, was faced with two policemen armed with AR-15 semi-automatic rifles in his own home, despite doing nothing wrong.

He was home in between classes when the cops knocked on his door - and when he saw they had no warrant and refused to allow them to enter, they broke down his door.

The officers were reportedly responding to a call about a "hispanic male with an AK-47," after receiving a domestic violence call. In a Facebook post documenting what happened, Reynolds wrote:

"So i come home in between class, to wash my dog, and all of a sudden i hear loud banging on my door, i ask who it is, and get no answer, so i open my door, and there are two Topeka Police Department officers with AR-15 DRAWN and AIMED at me, tell me to come outside, to which i answered “fuck no” because 1. i have done NOTHING WRONG, and 2. im in my underwear because washing my dog gets messy.

"So i slam my door. they then BREAK IT DOWN. tell me to get on the ground, put me in hand cuffs and drag me to my living room. then tell me that they got a call about a “hispanic male with an AK-47” (which by the way is NOT illegal to own if you’re not a felon so even if i did have one, which i dont, its not ilegal to own one, and they didnt know i was a felon until i told them.)

“They came to my door, busted my door down and put me in handcuffs with no warrant," he says in the video. "Had this gone any differently, I’d be dead in my own apartment for doing nothing wrong."

You can see part of the incident in the video below:

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In the Facebook post, Reynolds went on to insist that not only had he done nothing wrong, but that he was almost killed without the officers having any evidence other than the call they received.

Reynolds is understandably angry and panicked, given how badly similar incidents have gone in the past. Botham Shem Jean was killed in his own apartment earlier this month, after an off-duty police officer reportedly entered the apartment believing it was her own. She was later charged with manslaughter.

The Topeka police stated that they do not require a search warrant in a case where they believe someone is in danger. It was Reynolds' argument that for no warrant to be needed, they required a "full description," rather than a vague description of a "hispanic male".

They reportedly searched his home and found nothing, and notified the apartment manager to fix the door.

Earlier this month, a video depicting police response to a shoplifting theft went viral in Phoenix. Now, it seems one of the officers involved has a prior incident to his name, as a new person has come forward.

An investigation was opened after cell phone footage was released, showing an officer sweeping the leg of a handcuffed man and verbally abusing him as he complied with the officer's requests.

Here's a report on the recent incident

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A new allegation comes from Dante Patterson, who claims that he was treated with excessive force in 2018. Patterson was pepper sprayed by Officer Christopher Meyer after allegedly being asked to leave an amusement park he was visiting with his co-workers and kids.

Speaking to ABC 10 News, Patterson claimed that statements Meyer wrote in his police report were inaccurate, so he wasn't shocked to find out he'd been involved in the now-viral incident from May.

"I was not too surprised. My main concern [was] I didn't want him to do this to anyone else. It looked like it happened," Patterson said about the recent video.

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During the 2018 incident, Meyer was working an off-duty security job at the park, but was still wearing his Phoenix Police Department badge. Patterson said that others were "messing with him" on a bumper boats ride, at which point he told them to "leave him the f*** alone". One of the mothers complained, at which point park employees claimed they asked him to leave as he was on his way out of the park.

Patterson, however, claims he was on a "smoke break" and was planning on returning. He and other witnesses claimed that he was never told to leave, but when he returned, Meyer was notified and escorted Patterson out of the park. "I was already being escorted out, and he just decided to pepper spray me," Patterson said of the incident.

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Meyer wrote that Patterson had become angry and swore profusely at him, which he denies. "I just was not saying, 'yes sir, no sir, sorry sir.' That’s what the real crime was," Patterson said. "He was the one belligerent, aggressive."

Meyer said that Patterson repeatedly stopped walking, before eventually turning around. He then, according to the officer, "postured with his fists clenched raised in front of him, in a fighting stance, squared off towards the officer". Patterson said this placed him "in reasonable apprehension of imminent physical injury" and proceeded to use pepper spray from "eight to ten feet away".

He claimed to have hit him in the back with the spray for three seconds, then in the face for less than one second. However, Patterson told other officers that the reason his back was covered in the spray was because he never stopped walking away, only turning his head slightly to respond to the officer. He also claimed that he never clenched his fists or made any other threatening gestures.

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"In reference to the "clenched fists and fighting stance, that did not happen at all," a friend of Patterson's who witnessed the incident said in court.

"Dante had his hands down but open...no signs of him squaring up or provoking the officer to use force in any kind of way. I was watching [Officer Meyer] the whole time...What's worse is that even with Dante facing away from the pepper spray, the officer continued to keep spraying him.

"The other officers kept asking me about what happened and how everything escalated. I kept repeating the same things over and over, but they kept looking for a specific connection to the arresting officer's story."

Meyer then pointed his taser at Patterson's back as he was on the ground, blinded, at which point they found Patterson's pistol. The 21-year-old said he was carrying the gun legally, and said he would never try to get into a fistfight with an officer while carrying a firearm. "Who would square up if they have their gun?" he said.

Patterson was later charged with multiple counts of disorderly conduct and aggravated assault on an officer. He reached a plea agreement to a single misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, and was placed on probation.

He later tried to file a complaint with the Professional Standards Bureau on two occasions, but was told the case had been reviewed and closed. Meyer remained on the force, and is now the subject of an internal investigation for the events of May 2019.