A 10-year-old Canton boy was stopped by police in Etowah River Park on Thursday, but he wasn’t committing a crime, police said.
Gage McPherson received a “ticket” for his good behavior — wearing his bicycle helmet — as part of a community policing initiative, Canton police said.
Officer Adam Yurkousky issued McPherson a citation in the form of a coupon for a Chick-fil-A sandwich, after he signed the citation and agreed to continue to wear his helmet.
All officers are encouraged to ticket at least one child per shift, Chief Mark J. Mitchell said. Children may be given tickets for such things as wearing a seat belt or bike helmet, looking both ways before crossing the street or just good manners.
“Our officers don’t have a quota on how many tickets they issue per month, but they will be enforcing good behavior,” Mitchell joked.
He said “Operation Caught By a Cop” starts with the community children as a way to earn respect.
“We want kids to trust us, not be scared and run to our officers in times of need or engagement,” Mitchell said.
Police will continue this initiative into the school year, police said.
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