Denver police officers pay for hotel for family in need

Raquel Villanueva | KUSA-TV, Denver

DENVER — Two Denver Police officers are being recognized for going "above and beyond" by helping a family in need get a place to stay.

On March 13, Officers Troy Smith and Ryan Vogel responded to the 400 block of West Colfax Avenue on a welfare check.

They met with a couple and their 6-year-old daughter. The father said the family had fallen upon hard times in Denver and did not have a place to stay for the night.

They planned to return to a nearby city the next day. Since the family was not from Denver, they could not qualify for a hotel voucher, according to police.

The officers tried to talk to staff at a nearby hotel, not wanting a child to be left outside for the night.

When the hotel could not provide a room for free, the officers paid for one with their own money.

"The generosity of these officers ensured the family had a safe, warm place to stay their last night in our city," the Denver Police Department said in a Facebook post.