‘Your tweet that targeted a police officer in Ohio who saved a young woman’s life was irresponsible and disturbing.’

a police officer in Ohio who saved a young woman’s life was irresponsible and disturbing. It showed a complete lack of understanding of the challenge of our job in the heat of a moment,” Joseph said. “You basically put a target on the back of a human being who had to make a split-second decision to save a life from a deadly attack ... a decision I know he and many others wish they never had to make. Especially when it involves someone so young.”

A 25-year officer, Joseph has gained a measure of fame for his work on skid row, being featured in documentaries and giving TED Talks about the issues of homelessness and mental illness. He’s spent all but two of those years working with the unhoused in downtown Los Angeles. He has been called the “angel of skid row” and created a program to distribute hygiene kits to homeless people. When U.S. District Judge David O. Carter wanted to learn about skid row, it was Joseph who showed him daily life there. Joseph, a married father of three boys, was featured on HGTV’s “Home Makeover” as a reward for his good works.

Joseph said he knows policing needs reforms and that he was not trying to defend abusive behavior.

“But you can’t always stop humanity. With humanity comes imperfections. As long as human beings are a part of any profession, things can happen,” he said. “It’s not an excuse, it’s a reality. Apathy, brutality, insensitivity, racism, bias ... these things are not police traits. They are human traits, and they exist in all professions. But I also believe that is the exception, not the rule.”