West Virginia police give traffic violators gift cards instead of tickets
'Usually, people aren't too happy when you pull them over,' one officer said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A West Virginia police department spread some holiday cheer this week by handing out gift cards instead of traffic tickets.
The West Virginia Fraternal Order of Police donated $500 in Chick-fil-A gift cards to the South Charleston Police Department, which distributed them between Wednesday and Friday, according to local reports.
Lt. Robert Yeager told WCHS that officers stopped drivers as usual for traffic violations but surprised them with $10 gift cards instead of tickets.
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"Usually, people aren't too happy when you pull them over, but to put a smile on someone's face like that, it's a good feeling," Patrol Officer Justin Morris told the outlet.
One gift card recipient, Rick Jerrett, told WCHS that he feared the worst when he saw the flashing blue lights behind him.
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"I didn't stop all the way at a stop sign, but this is so good," he said. "They did a nice job, and this is a much better outcome than I thought."
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