Posted on 12/23/2014 3:04:36 PM PST by afraidfortherepublic
HACKENSACK — City resident Edward Garner thought he was getting a parking ticket for some violation on Main Street Monday, even with 40 minutes left on his meter.
Despite Garner's pleas, Officer Frank Garrett handed him a "summons" that contained a note from the city's police director himself: "Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season and a healthy and peaceful new year."
Garner, 57, stared at the "ticket" as his wife Victoria laughed in the car.
"You know, at my age I could have a heart attack!" he admonished the officer before cracking up.
Garner's "ticket" was one of about 4,000 handed out by city police officers this past weekend and Monday. This is the first year the department has done that.
"We wanted to figure out a way to give Christmas cards out to people," police Director Mike Mordaga said.
The cards show citizens that police are community-oriented, the director said — "We're always looking for ways to have that positive image."
(Excerpt) Read more at northjersey.com ...
Who needs a house out in Hackensack...
“Merry Christmas. We are watching you everywhere you are”
I wonder how much that cost the taxpayers...
Happy Holidays sir
sniff, sniff?
Did you have a drink at the Christmas party?
You are ALL a bunch of Grinches! I expected a little criticism that it might not be a good idea to scare peaople half to death, but you don’t have to take it out on the whole town and their PD that is just trying to add a little levity to the season. :)
“You know, at my age I could have a heart attack ack ack ack ack!” fixed it.
I'm a Grinch? I'm not the one putting pseudo-tickets on people's cars so they get irritated (even if momentarily so) on their way back to the car.
Why not grab the good will on the front end when they park? If they want the positive PR, just put a sign on all the parking meters that reads, "Free Parking December 24 - December 26 courtesy, Hackensack Mayor and PD. Merry Christmas"?
There you go! Great suggestion. I was just surprised about how NOBODY here could cut the PD a break for trying to do a nice thing.
My daughter used to live in Mahwah, NJ. When we’d go there to visit at Christmas, my husband would go downtown to get a haircut. He was shocked to see the barber shop all laid out with an open bar for the clients and the police looking the other way. I guess it’s a custom there.
Some places along the NY/NJ were backwaters until the last couple of decades, and old habits die hard. Near Mahwah (in Pearl River NY) I’ve been to St. Patrick’s Day parades where people were openly drinking in public; nobody was unruly, and it was a nice taste of life before the nanny-state.
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