Opinion: My guardian angel at Denver PD

Photo byAndika ChristianonUnsplash

Sometimes coincidences happen and you’re glad they did. I wrote a while back about a Denver Police Department officer who saved the day once after I had been thrown out of the homeless shelter on 48^th several years ago. I had left my cot to use the restroom, and when I came back there was a man in my bed claiming it was his bed. The shelter manager sided with him and ejected me.

I had no idea where I was. We always were taken to the shelter from downtown by bus and I never paid attention to directions. But it is at least 15 minutes from downtown. After the shelter manager threw me out, I walked to a nearby 7-Eleven and dialed 911. An officer came, “Beau” Beauchamp, and I told her what happened. It was just starting to snow very heavily.

Beauchamp gave me a ride in the squad car back to downtown Denver, where I sat all night at Tom’s Diner drinking coffee. As luck would have it, an old friend from college had put $20 into my PayPal account that night.

I have written about Beauchamp’s good deed before. The reason I did so is because I had a lot of bad experiences with Denver Police while homeless. But not all police are bad. I remember another time a Denver officer who told me he also was gay bought me a Dr. Pepper. That was cool. He still took me to jail. I honestly can’t remember for what.

Anyway, when the victim rights advocate from my assault two weeks ago sent me some paperwork about the incident, I noticed that a “Beauchamp” was the responding officer. The homeless shelter is in District 8, as is Fusion Studios, where I live and was assaulted by a resident with a lead pipe. Could it be the same Beauchamp that saved me from the homeless shelter who responded to my assault?

I asked my case manager about this, as I retreated to my room after the assault and did not follow my assailant outside. I never saw the police arrive but spoke with them after they did. My case manager said the officer who tackled my assailant to the ground was a woman with tattoos on her arms. Yep, it sounded like Beauchamp. I also remember that back in 2018 when she showed up at the homeless shelter, she had braces on her teeth.

I reached out to Denver PD and indeed, it is the same Officer Beauchamp. What a coincidence.

I don’t know how to reach out to Beauchamp personally, but I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart for twice restoring my faith in Denver Police.