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    Police in Texas town giving out gift cards for good driving

    Traffic cop in Prosper, Texas handing out a gift card (KTSM.com)The next time you're approached by a traffic cop, you shouldn't necessarily assume the worst. Or at least you shouldn't succumb to primal fears of traffic cops if  you're driving in Prosper, Tex, where police have been handing out $10 gift cards to drivers they see wearing seat belts and staying within the speed limit.

    "We wanted to give back to the community to reinforce those safe driving habits," Prosper assistant police chief Gary McHone told AOL Autos.

    To be clear, the police officers aren't pulling over any motorists to notify them that they are obeying the law. Rather, officers on foot have been approaching driving in parking lots and other areas after noticing their good behavior. The police officers say they are going out of their way to not startle anyone.

    "The old adage of 'protecting and serving'--it's a highly used phrase, but this is an opportunity for us to put a different twist to the 'serving' part of it," McHone said.

    The department says it has funded 60 of the American Bank of Texas debit cards through its own contribution fund and from money raised at community events.

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    • Red-neck  •  Columbia, United States  •  5 mths ago
      A policeman walked up to a car and told the driver he had won $10 dollars in a seatbelt competition currently being held in that city. “What are you going to do with the money?” asked the policeman. “Well, I guess I should get a drivers license”, he answered. “Oh, don’t listen to him,” said a woman in the passenger seat, “He’s a smartass when he’s drunk.” Then the guy in the backseat said, “I knew we wouldn’t get far in a stolen car!” At that moment there was a knock from the trunk and a mexican voice said, “Are we over the border yet? This dead body is starting to stink, I'm afraid the smell will ruin the value of all this pot!”
      • o 5 mths ago
        yup the word "red-neck" says it all
      • Michael 5 mths ago
        Lol!!!
      • jerru 5 mths ago
        hilarious!!!
    • Randomthoughts  •  Beaverton, United States  •  5 mths ago
      This is nice. People need to see the positive aspects of police work.
      • Jimmy 5 mths ago
        and cops need to realize that government is of the people....not the opposite
      • hangman 5 mths ago
        Cops think they are the law, instead of public servants enforcing the law..
        When not busy, they should be earning their exaggerated pay by cleaning public toilets, as in public servant.
      • Matt S 5 mths ago
        Randomthoughts, you are either a #$%$ or a pig
    • Kansas237  •  Topeka, United States  •  5 mths ago
      A COP PULLED A BLONDE OVER for weaving in the road, and asked to see her license. The blonde huffed, "I wish you guys would get your act together. First you take my license away last week, and now you ask me to show it to you?"
      • Joyce 5 mths ago
        i lol ed
      • Nichole 5 mths ago
        KUDOS to you Kansas.. I actually hadn't heard that one.. lol :)
      • First L 5 mths ago
        haha good one. made me laugh
    • maughan8  •  Kansas City, United States  •  5 mths ago
      sounds like a town where cops are still people. great job.we need more cops like that not the ones above the law but just people
      • Imprimere 5 mths ago
        Sounds like an excuse to make unneccesary stops and look for illegal activity while pretending to be kind. Do NOT trust these police officers.
      • james b 5 mths ago
        and i'm guessing it's their OWN money?
        sure............
      • cali65 5 mths ago
        Imrimere and James, READ THE ARTICLE!
    • Vikes4Life  •  5 mths ago
      I havent been driving for long, but it just amazes me that there are so many pathetic drivers on the road. How do some of these jokers have a license?
      • DieDemReps 5 mths ago
        Welcome to liberalism where EVERYONE wins first place!
      • priceless22 5 mths ago
        Most are probably illegals and do not have a license or know how to drive. They are the true killers on the highways. I have a friend whose only son was mutilated by a truck full of drunk illegals. They were in a sanctuary city. Nothing happened to the illegals.
      • Angela in Crockett, TX 5 mths ago
        THAT is a damned good question...
    • -Unknown-  •  5 mths ago
      My friend is a PA state trooper. His Sgt. told him to pull people over all day on this one stretch on Inerstate 81. He told me he sat there for about 6 hours of his shift without seeing one person doing a fast enough speed to pull over. Then he clocked a Corvette doing about 105 mph in a 65 mph and caught up to him and pulled him over and said to the guy in the Corvette, 'I've been waiting for you all day.' The guy said back to him 'I got here as fast as I could.' ... He decided to let him go for give him a much needed laugh
    • Sam Mathews  •  Doylestown, United States  •  5 mths ago
      What a nice story. So nice to hear GOOD stuff.
    • Constance B  •  Memphis, United States  •  5 mths ago
      I hope all the officers approaching folks stay safe. My dad was an officer and he stopped to see if some folks needed help at a closed gas station . for his reward he was cut up and left for dead in a ditch with his muscles in his arms and other body parts hanging out . The only thing that saved him was he always called in and he missed his call in so they went looking for him. (the gas station was being robbed) so God bless and be safe.
    • Anthony  •  Eagle River, United States  •  5 mths ago
      This one time there was a snow storm in south carilina, about 2 inches of snow on highways, people were sliding off the road everywhere,even the police, my mom was driving 55 m.p.h. Down the road, past an officer, he immiedietly turned on his siren, so she pulled over, when he finally got up to her vehicle, "your driving too fast for conditions, licence & reg. Please." so she complied, gave him her alaska drivers licence, he said i'm sorry ma'am please go on yor way!
    • WAYNE  •  Cleveland, United States  •  5 mths ago
      I got stopped by a cop sunday night and he asked me if I was drinking! I asked him are you buying!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Andrew  •  Wausau, United States  •  5 mths ago
      See in the town I work in this happens quite a bit. Every year we are doing benefit rides for Special Olympics, Operation Sweet Dreams where we donate cloths and toys to kids rescued from meth homes, and various other positive things for the community to show them we are not all bad. Yes there are bad and some horrible cops out there, dont let those few taint the well we all drink from....
    • Mrs. T-Free  •  Decatur, United States  •  5 mths ago
      So did anyone actually read the article? They don't pull anyone over. How are they disrupting traffic in a parking lot? If you were approached and offered a gift card, you all would take it so stop trying to act like this is really that bad.
    • Mikey  •  Los Angeles, United States  •  5 mths ago
      Good idea. Nice gesture at Christmas time. Why so many negative comments? That's what I hate about where this country has gone. Everyone is either suspicious, paranoid or just plain angry and doesn't trust anyone. Really too bad.
    • LelandM  •  5 mths ago
      Most people like to be recognized for doing a good jo. This is a nice gesture and too many of you people are reading way too much negativity into it.
    • David  •  Irvine, United States  •  5 mths ago
      Good news.

      People behaving WELL.
    • Wilft  •  5 mths ago
      a texas state trooper pulled over a lady, as he walked up to her car she said "lemme guess, your here to sell me tickets to the annual texas state trooper's ball" the cop responded, "maam, texas state troopers dont have balls" the woman laughed so hard the cop could only walk away
    • speedo  •  Dallas, United States  •  5 mths ago
      An officer pulled over an elderly woman who was going a bit fast. When he asked for her ID, she handed over her concealed gun permit along with her drivers license. He said, " I see you have a license to carry but I must ask if you have any weapons now." She said, "Yes, I have a 45 Magnum in the glove box." He asked, "any more?". She said, "yes I have a 40mm Glock in the console and a 38 police special under my seat." He said, "Good grief, what are you afraid of?!"...She looked him in the eye and answered coolly....."Not a #$%$ thing."
    • Julie  •  5 mths ago
      You know, it's really sad that people don't READ the article! They are not, I repeat NOT, pulling anyone over! They are not unlawfully stopping anyone. If you don't want the gift card or want to talk to them, you don't have to. It's a small town about 30 miles out of Dallas. People may very well NEED that $10. It's a nice idea. For those saying that it's a way for them to search your car for pot, let me just tell you....that would happen in Dallas or Fort Worth, not in Prosper. Some of the people here are entirely too negative...
    • Harley  •  5 mths ago
      Holy hell! It amazes me how many of you people can't freakin' read! They are NOT pulling people over! Do us all a favor and re-read the article in it's entirety. For the love of Zeus. They are approaching folks in parking lots and offering them a $10 gift card for simply wearing a seat belt and maintaining the speed limit. Hell, I got pulled over - granted I FULLY deserved it (63 in a 45, anyone?) The cop was nice enough to let me off with a warning because I wasn't #$%$ I was honest, I used my turn signal, had my headlights on in the day time, and had on my seatbelt. I took full blame for my actions and was actually slowing down once I realized I was approaching a 35mph zone; it was also the first time I'd been pulled over since I had been driving (10 years). Try not being a d-bag and being honest with the officer next time.
    • michael  •  5 mths ago
      "the old adage of protect and serve" protect and serve WAS the police mission statement and motto. it has been removed from all u.s. police cars. they are now referred to as " law enforcement officials ". they are not there to protect us. or serve the general public like when my grandfather was a cop, they are there to enforce the letter of the law when it serves them.
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