The new weapon against crime: a Slushie
Oh? This was the answer to the problem, all along? Knock me over with a feather.
Police in Takoma Park, Maryland, have been handing out coupons for free Slushies to kids “caught” doing good deeds (https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/maryland/montgomery-county/takoma-park-police-distribute-free-slurpee-tickets-to-children-caught-doing-good-deeds/). This is being done elsewhere, too–nice public relations for the police. In Saginaw, Michigan, it’s free Slurpees. It’s done in partnership with 7-11 convenience stores.
This should work–right?
The crime rate in Takoma Park increased 178 percent last year.
Lots of funky nooze stories out there today. What’s going on with our culture?
Isn’t paying people not to commit crimes called “extortion” or “protection money”? Just asking….
I knew a kid in school whose grandfather, a grizzled old colonel with a combat record as long as your arm, used to pay him a dollar for every day he didn’t have a tantrum. This went on into high school.
I wonder how he turned out.
I’m all for helping kids to feel a part of society, but this approach doesn’t impress me. If you want to reach kids, they need to feel a sense of involvement, and drinking crushed ice and sugar doesn’t equate to that.
Our local police department has a unit that does nothing but interact with the public in a positive way. They visit schools with Officer Pawster (a cat), hand out lunches at apartment buildings, have a booth at Saturday’s Farmers’ Market, etc. I went through our city’s Citizens Police Acadamy, a 10-week program put on by these special public relations cops, so I now know them well.