SOMERVILLE, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts police officer who sent flowers to a crying woman she pulled over for speeding has received a commendation.

Somerville Officer Ashley Catatao received a Beyond the Call of Duty Award from Chief David Fallon on Tuesday for her empathy and professionalism during the Nov. 4 traffic stop.

Catatao pulled over a vehicle driving 40 mph in a 30 mph zone, intending to issue a warning.

She noticed the driver was crying. The woman explained that she just found out her mother was being placed in hospice care.

Catatao says she sent the flowers because she has a mother, is a mother and never wants to forget that the drivers she pulls over are "real people with real things happening in their lives."