CHESAPEAKE, Va. — When the police sirens go off, some drivers are fearful of the ticket they could receive. But these drivers let out a huge sigh when Chesapeake officers handed them a turkey.
"My dad just got out of surgery for colon cancer," said driver Donald Garrison. "So, I’m going to take this turkey home and tell him we got something good to eat for Christmas.”
It’s the eighth year officers stopped drivers for minor traffic violations. Instead of a ticket, they received a turkey.
“It’s things [like] your tags are out of date, maybe your inspection is out of date. Maybe there’s something wrong equipment-wise,” said Lt. Wallace Chadwick with Chesapeake Police.
Chesapeake resident Rodney Foster sparked the idea after traveling home from a football game years ago.
“When waiting for the plane, I saw that Dallas was doing it at Thanksgiving," said Foster. "I come home, I got to thinking. I called the chief and said, ‘I got an idea.’”
Officers packed 100 turkeys into several police cruisers and patrolled across the city on Friday morning. Chadwick said each year, more officers volunteer for the event. He calls it a morale booster.
“Often citizens have a negative encounter with the police department, especially on a traffic stop," he explained. "When we have this positive interaction, it really helps build that relationship between the community and the police department.”
“We try hard to let the community know that we’re here to enforce the law with the community, not on the community,” Police Chief Mark Solesky said.
The Chesapeake Jubilee Committee, the Chesapeake Crime Line, Kroger, and several sponsors have partnered with the police department to give away the turkeys.