VIDEO:Minnesota Officer Spends Last Day on the Job Handing Out Gifts to People He Served

Before he left his job at the Brooklyn Center (Minn.) Police Department, Commander Brian Peters had one thing he wanted to do on his last day -- say thank you to the city he loves.

Peters decided to use the money he made for a day's work, as well as the $10 per year he earned from the police association for his service, to give back to his community.

"I've got nothing but good things from the city as well as the citizens," Peters, 42, told ABC News . "Why don't I take what I make in a day and add that $120 that the [police] association was going to give me, and I'll just round it up to $500 and get some gift certificates to give to people."

So after 14 years serving the city as a police officer, Peters spent his last day doing just that. Using his own money, Peters, who lives in Andover, Minnesota, said he purchased five gift cards from Target and five gift cards from the grocery chain Cub Foods worth $50 each and handed them out to strangers in Brooklyn Center. Peters said it took him about two and a half hours to give away all 10 gift cards and that he was able to put smiles on a lot of people's faces.

Peters, who starts his new job as the manager of Target's global crisis command center on Monday, said he still wants to continue giving back to the community. "Community service is extremely important, and when you're fortunate in life, you should give back to others who aren't as fortunate," Peters said. "That's what makes the world go 'round."