TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - A team of law enforcement officers are making it their mission to take care of the homeless in Toledo especially during this cold snap.
Deputy Kurtis Whitman and Officer Anthony Duncan's beat is downtown Toledo and after years of patrolling there, they know many of Toledo's homeless personally.
"We have gained a report with them we have gained a trust with them so they trust us," said Officer Tony Duncan with the Toledo Police Department.
The two crime fighters look at themselves more like caretakers when the weather gets cold. Part of their job for watching out for the homeless is to get out of their cars and check doorways where people might be hiding out.
They walk the streets of downtown, the tunnels below, check the bus stops and bathrooms, all places those without shelter go to stay warm.
"It's okay to just come and go but sometimes they like to sleep there and we have to tell them you can't hang out here you have to keep moving. The mission is really where you need to be," said Deputy Kurtis Whitman LCS.
Pointing the homeless to resources and shelters,while making sure downtown businesses aren't becoming makeshift shelters is another task added to job.
But all in all, keeping tabs on those downtown while trying to stay warm themselves is more than all in a days work for Officer Duncan and Deputy Whitman.
