Police hand out Thanksgiving turkeys instead of traffic tickets to offenders on the road

Keeping with the giving season, some police officers continue a tradition pulling over drivers and handing them a surprise Thanksgiving food staple in lieu of a traffic ticket.

This year, the Fulton Police Department in Fulton, Illinois, is hosting its Operation Turkey Stop program. 

The operation began in 2021 as a way for the police department to foster a good working relationship with the community. 

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"We all know that the holidays are a special time of the year, and we wanted to be able to reach out to the public and try to help them enjoy the holidays just a little bit more," Sgt. Dwayne Hamilton of the Fulton Police Department told Fox News Digital. 

Officers are on the lookout for everyday traffic violations, then initiate traffic stops. But instead of issuing fines or punishments, drivers are given a turkey.

"It usually takes everyone by surprise," said Hamilton. 

"Everyone has been very grateful, and there are some who even stated that they weren’t sure how they were going to have food for the holidays, which makes that even more special and rewarding for us, knowing that we were able to pay it forward."

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The Fulton Police Department gets its turkeys from the local Hy-Vee grocery store.

And Illinois isn't the only state where law enforcement passes out turkeys in lieu of traffic violations.

Last year, the McAllen Police Department in McAllen, Texas, hosted its Ticket or Turkey event.

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, officers handed out turkeys instead of tickets.

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"Crime Stoppers is a valued tool for the police department but, during the holidays, it’s about showing our thanks to our community. McAllen Crime Stoppers is a citizen group that volunteers to raise funds to pay citizens for information or tips anonymously," Chief Victor Rodriguez said in a press release.

In the release, Rudy Placencia added, "We would like to thank our community for helping us provide a turkey dinner for families. We have learned throughout the year most of these families would not enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal if McAllen Crime Stoppers didn’t raise funds."

This year, the McAllen Crime Stoppers Board raised money for 250 families with "modest means" for its Turkey Meal Giveaway.

"The McAllen Crime Stoppers Thanksgiving Meal Drive is a heartfelt tradition that brings our community together to support those in need," said Vanessa Camacho, McAllen Crime Stoppers board president.

Other departments around the country have been providing the Thanksgiving dinner centerpiece for community members over the years.

In 2022, the Jackson Police Department in Michigan handed out free turkeys to hundreds of people. The officers ran out of birds in under an hour, Fox News Digital reported.

The year before that, the Mesa Police Department in Mesa, Arizona, gave turkeys to people who thought they were being pulled over for a violation, Fox 10 Pheonix reported.