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The Best Traffic Stops You'll Ever See

December 10, 2014

Police officers in Lowell, Mich., were filmed pulling over 50 cars in just two days last month.

Instead of giving the drivers tickets, though, the police gave them Christmas gifts.

As part of a program the department called "Lowell Police Secret Santa" they teamed up with the cable channel UPtv to spread a little bit of holiday cheer.

Video of the Secret Santa giveaway shows police stopping motorists for minor violations and casually asking them what they want for Christmas in the course of the stop. Once the officer found out what gift the driver wanted a team at a local store scours the isles to find it, buy it, and deliver it to the officer. Then the officer surprises the driver with the gift.

The drivers are shocked and overjoyed to receive a gift instead of a ticket. One woman even gets out of her car to hug the officer.

"Most of the contact the police officers have with the general public is on a traffic stop and you can find a lot out about that person in that 10 to 15 minute window, whether they're having a good day, a bad day, or a horrible day," Lowell Police Chief Steve Bukala said at the beginning of the video. "And then we got this idea: what if we could change that person's day in real time?"

"What if we could change that person's day right now?"

The giving didn't cost the department or the citizens they pulled over anything. Nobody was actually issued a ticket and UPtv paid for the cost of the gifts, WZZM reports.

Published under: Michigan , Police , Video