Dec 17, 2007 4:23 pm US/Eastern
California Police Reward Good Drivers With Coffee
Officers Pulling Drivers Over, Handing Out Starbucks Gift Cards
SACRAMENTO (AP) ―
Happy holidays -- please pull over.
Motorists driving through the Sacramento, Calif. suburb of Rancho Cordova this holiday season may be in for a surprise if they spot flashing red lights in their rearview mirror.
Police have begun stopping law-abiding motorists and rewarding them for good driving with a $5 Starbucks gift card.
One of the police department's traffic officers came up with the latte giveaway to "promote the holiday spirit and enhance goodwill between the traffic unit and the motoring public," police spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said.
Local businesses donated money to buy the gift cards.
"They raised a substantial amount of money," Curran said. "They'll be pulling over a lot of people."
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