Ohatchee police give cards instead of citations
Dec. 25—It's not a good feeling to see blue lights appear in the rearview mirror.
Motorists passing through Ohatchee this holiday season, however, might get a different interaction with the boys in blue.
Ohatchee police are conducting what they call "Operation Holiday Spirit," in which officers pull over vehicles on minor traffic violations and hand the driver a Christmas card rather than a traffic citation.
"There has to be a violation," Ohatchee police Chief Allen Kelley said.
The law states that an officer must have probable cause to stop a vehicle, Ohatchee police Officer Mike Willis explained.
For the second year in a row, during the holiday season, officers in Ohatchee will conduct traffic stops for minor things such as failure to use a turn signal. They will handle that traffic stop like any other.
The officer will run the license to ensure there are no warrants, and then instead of handing out a warning or a ticket, they hand the driver a Christmas card with a gift card in it.
Places like Ohatchee Hardware, Ohatchee Discount Supermarket, Jack's, Taylor Automotive & Wrecker Service, Mi Casita and Custom Pizza have all donated gift certificates to their businesses to put inside the Christmas cards, all with the minimum of $10 on each certificate.
"There was one woman that opened up her Christmas card and there was a $25 gift card to the grocery store in it. She said, 'I did not know what we were going to be eating for Christmas dinner. But now I know we will have a ham.' So it's heart-warming," Kelley said.
Ohatchee residents Gregg Poole and his wife were unsuspecting motorists who were at the end of one such stop Friday afternoon off of a rural back road in Ohatchee.
"This has been hilarious," Poole said. He was traveling about 10 miles over the speed limit and said he was afraid Officer Willis was going to ticket him.
"It's unexpected," Poole said with a laugh.
Another pair of motorists, Kensie Mitchelle and Austin Lee, of Ohatchee, failed to use a turn signal while turning out on Alabama 77.
Mitchelle let out a shriek of excitement when she opened the card and saw the gift certificate for the local grocery store.
The whole point is to bring the community closer to law enforcement, Kelley said. The idea is that a person is much more likely to report a suspicious activity or a crime if that person knows the officer they are reporting to.
In addition to building trust, Kelley said he'd like to bolster the types of interactions his officers have with their community.
"It's not often we have the opportunity to bring good news. Most of our encounters stem from a violation of the law or speaking to a victim of a crime," Kelley said. "In those cases, our contact is usually viewed as a negative contact."
Kelley said that having officers "deliver good news" is not only beneficial for the public, but for the officer as well.
"It really drives the Christmas spirit into all involved," Kelley said.
It also encourages people to slow down and drive more carefully, and serves as a high deterrent for further crimes such as thefts and burglaries because during the "two week detail," officers have a higher visibility than they would typically.
"I sincerely thank all of our businesses for the donations to a great cause for a great community. The assistance they provided with donating gift cards, made our effort to create a bond with the public a huge success. With their help we are able to provide a positive contact between law enforcement and people from our community or traveling through our community," Chief Kelley said.
Staff Writer Ashley Morrison: 256-236-1551. On Twitter: @AshMorrison1105.
