NEW ORLEANS - Acts of kindness during difficult times can often give people the boost they need to endure. 

According to WWL-TV, a New Orleans police officer named Larry Dace is the sort of person who is determined to spend his days engaging in such acts of kindness.

Dace has used his 13 years on the force as an opportunity to engage with members of the local community and this means going the extra mile to help them out when they're in need. 

“We’re here to help you and that was one of the things, why I joined the department,” said Dace.

Help is exactly what one person needed, when Dace was on Mardi Gras patrol earlier this week.

WWL-TV reports that while parked at a gas station on Broad Street, two people knocked on Dace's window, Venus Masakowski and a friend.

They explained that they'd found a wallet on the Lafitte Greenway.

“We found the wallet right around here, a fully intact wallet. There was absolutely nobody around because it was like totally freezing,” said Masakowski.

Without hesitation, Masakowski knew the wallet needed to be returned.

“We did not see one other person except for officer Larry Dace,” said Masakowski. “Thank goodness we saw him.”

According to WWL-TV, the contents of the wallet could have been tempting to some, because along with an ID and medical card was $338 in cash. But Masakowski and Dace were determined to do the right thing.

With the wallet in hand, Dace says the address on the ID was a bust, so with the blessing of his supervisor, he spent a total of two days working to track down a stranger, which he eventually did. 

“His first reaction when he walked up to me, ‘was there any cash in the wallet,’” said Dace. 

There was, and all of it. Officer Dace says the man was extremely grateful and even tried to pay him.

“I was like, ‘no, no, no, I don’t need your money,’” said Dace.

Dace says it was Masakowski's willingness to go the extra mile that inspired him to do the same. 

“To be able to get that wallet in my possession and locate the owner of it and return everything to him, I felt like that was a good deed,” said Dace.

The feeling was mutual, as Dace's act of kindness, in turn, impressed Masakowski. 

“You don’t know how much it means to all of us and especially in these challenging times to know that you’re going that extra step for citizens, it means so much,” said Masakowski.

Dace said he believes that such kindness and helpfulness is simply part of a police officer's responsibility as they protect and serve.