Lacy Lakeview: Officer honored with quilt of service shines positive spotlight on police

LACY LAKEVIEW, Texas (KWTX) - Lacy Lakeview Police Officer Thomas Beasley was brought to tears during a ceremony in his honor in which he was bestowed a Quilt of Service.

“It was just amazing that somebody would spend their time doing that for me,” Beasley told KWTX. “It’s just the way I live my life, I enjoy doing what I do and helping people out.”

From buying a hotel room for a homeless man and his dog on a cold night, to purchasing a bicycle for a kid who had his stolen, Beasley’s repeated acts of kindness towards others in the community were recognized during a surprise presentation in which a local quilter presented him with a quilt sewn by two women in New Mexico.

The blanket tag reads: “Thank you for your service to your country and community.”

“Everyone involved in making today’s presentation possible hoped that this quilt will give you warmth, comfort, and healing, should you ever need it,” said Jeffree Itrich, who presented the quilt.

Prior to his five-and-a-half-years as a patrol officer with LLPD, Beasley was a police officer and fireman for TSTC and a 21-year veteran of the U.S. Navy--all times of service which are depicted on the quilt.

“He served his country, he loves the country, he loves the people in this country, and he loves the community, he loves helping people, that’s the essence and the heart of a police officer is helping people,” said Lacy Lakeview Police Chief John Truehitt. “He is unique to us, but believe me, officers do this everyday throughout the United States, they do what he does, they care, they truly care.”

In addition to caring about his community, officer Beasley cares deeply about his comrades.

“Support your local police, wherever they may be,” said Beasley. “Too many of us are out here doing a good job and that’s all we can do, we can’t do anymore.”

During his ceremony, he turned the attention to the good deeds other officers do that go unnoticed.

“In the world today, a lot of officers, they do a good job...nobody gives them that recognition,” said Beasley. “We’re kind of on the bad side of a lot of people and I think that’s the wrong way to be, we all try to do our jobs, and we all don’t just wake up and want to be mean to people, that’s not what we’re here for.”

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