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With all the ftp threads constantly going on in here I thought this was a cool vid:
LOWELL, Mich. (WZZM) -- Instead of issuing traffic tickets, Lowell police helped warm hearts recently by handing out presents to unsuspecting drivers.
A video posted Tuesday morning shows officer Scot VanSolkema pulling over drivers for minor traffic offenses--violations police normally don't stop people for.
While questioning the drivers, officer VanSolkema asked what they would like for Christmas. A team at the nearby Meijer was listening by radio and quickly chose and wrapped the gifts within 10 to 15 minutes.
Officer VanSolkema then presented the drivers with a wrapped present. The reaction is a joy to watch: disbelief, laughter, gratitude, and even tears.
Lowell Police Chief Steve Bukala says in the video, "most of the contact the police officers have with the general public is on a traffic stop and you can find a lot out about that person in that 10 to 15 minute window, whether they're having a good day, a bad day, or a horrible day. And then we got this idea: what if we could change that person's day in real time? What if we could change that person's day right now?"
The nearly four minute video was filmed over two days in late November by UPtv, a Christian-based television network. UPtv chose the Lowell Police Department and paid for all of the gifts as a promotion for its Uplift Someone Christmas initiative.
Chief Bukala says officers pulled over 50 drivers for the video and handed out about 30 presents, totaling about $7,000. The most expensive was a laptop computer and a Xbox gaming system, and the most modest was a curling iron.
Lowell police say none of the drivers was issued a ticket.
A video posted Tuesday morning shows officer Scot VanSolkema pulling over drivers for minor traffic offenses--violations police normally don't stop people for.
While questioning the drivers, officer VanSolkema asked what they would like for Christmas. A team at the nearby Meijer was listening by radio and quickly chose and wrapped the gifts within 10 to 15 minutes.
Officer VanSolkema then presented the drivers with a wrapped present. The reaction is a joy to watch: disbelief, laughter, gratitude, and even tears.
Lowell Police Chief Steve Bukala says in the video, "most of the contact the police officers have with the general public is on a traffic stop and you can find a lot out about that person in that 10 to 15 minute window, whether they're having a good day, a bad day, or a horrible day. And then we got this idea: what if we could change that person's day in real time? What if we could change that person's day right now?"
The nearly four minute video was filmed over two days in late November by UPtv, a Christian-based television network. UPtv chose the Lowell Police Department and paid for all of the gifts as a promotion for its Uplift Someone Christmas initiative.
Chief Bukala says officers pulled over 50 drivers for the video and handed out about 30 presents, totaling about $7,000. The most expensive was a laptop computer and a Xbox gaming system, and the most modest was a curling iron.
Lowell police say none of the drivers was issued a ticket.
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