November 13, 1997 | Read Time: 1 minute
Police officers in Castle Rock, Colo., who pull over motorists for speeding this fall are also pulling in donations for the local Salvation Army.
Under a program called “Santa’s Second Chance Christmas Special,” motorists assessed fines for speeding, reckless driving, and other traffic violations in the last six weeks have had the option of supporting the Salvation Army instead of the city government. Offenders can either buy Christmas presents equal to the amount of the fine and then give them to the charity to distribute to needy children during the holidays, or they can ask that the money be donated directly to the Salvation Army.
Terry Lee Foose, a local writer who came up with the plan and persuaded the city government to adopt it, says that more than half of the people pulled over for traffic violations in the town of about 9,000 are under 18. She says the program gives them a chance to do something positive to make amends. “Instead of saying, ‘You dumb cop, you caught me,’ it turns into a community service,” she says.
On an average month, traffic tickets bring in $6,000 to $10,000 in Castle Rock, and Ms. Foose says the Salvation Army can expect to receive about $6,000 from the ticket plan.
Local officials say that they will not know how many reckless drivers have been recruited as philanthropists until later this month when the offenders show up for their court dates.
So far, Castle Rock Police Chief Tony Lane says, few motorists have been enthusiastic when informed of the program upon being pulled over.
“Most of the time they’re pretty upset because they just got a traffic ticket,” he says. “They’re not hearing much else.”
