This compassionate police officer is setting a new standard for how law enforcement can protect and serve.

Officer Jesse Whitten and his wife have adopted the newborn daughter of a homeless woman struggling with drug addiction.

Whitten, who works for the Santa Rosa Police Department in California, would often stop in to check on the woman throughout the year. After a time, the two formed a kind of friendship.

Then one year ago, Whitten ran into the woman while he was out with his wife Ashley. When Ashley noticed that the woman was pregnant, the two struck up a conversation about motherhood.

Six months later, the married couple was shocked to receive a call from the woman saying that she personally wanted them to adopt her newborn child.

The woman hoped that – under the love and care of the Whittens – her daughter could have a chance at a normal life.

The Whittens accepted the woman's request, and now, six more months later, they have officially adopted Harlow Masie Whitten as their fourth child.

Though the baby has overcome many challenges after being exposed to drugs while she was in the womb, she has become a beloved part of the Whitten family.

"We were talking and –– I was saying to her — ‘You made this choice for her and that we are so grateful,'" Ashley told CBS San Francisco. "And she said — ‘You're her mother now.'"

(WATCH the interview below)

Be Sure And Share The Sweet Story With Your Friends – Photo by the Santa Rosa Police Department