Police department issues tickets to kids on their best behavior
Police in Walpole have issued tickets to almost 100 kids over the past few weeks—but instead of getting a bill in the mail, the children get a certificate for a free ice cream cone.
The Walpole Police Department has instituted a new initiative called “Catching Kids Doing Right.’’ When officers on patrol see kids on their best behavior, such as wearing a helmet while riding a bike, they can write them a positive ticket, which provides them with a free ice cream cone at Watson Scoops in town.
“We’ve been trying to come up with ways to have an ice breaker for the kids when we’re trying to engage them in different ways,’’ Police Chief John Carmichael told Boston.com.
A few years ago, the department sent out a survey to residents asking what they could do to make the town better. A common response was to increase interaction between officers and civillians, especially with young people.
“Citizens were asking us for more face to face contact,’’ Carmichael said.
So far, police have given out about 100 of the 1,000 vouchers Watson Scoops gave them. One kid received an ice cream cone for wearing a seat belt when an officer pulled over a parent who ran a stop sign. Another got one for holding a parent’s hand while crossing the street.
Carmichael noted that recent national events have given people bad perceptions of police officers, especially when it comes to how officers interact with adolescents. He hopes the initiative can reconnect young people to their local police force by allowing them to establish a positive relationship with officers.
“We’re trying to bring out the good in things,’’ he said.
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