Boston police officer Lawrence Welch, right, talks with his new friend John Franco, 11, in 2004 at the "Free Speech" protest pen at the Democratic National Convention near the FleetCenter in Boston. Franco, whose mother works at a nearby restaurant, had wandered over to see what was happening in the area when officer Welch befriended him. The two spent a long time together talking, until the area became more active and Welch escorted Franco to a safer area.