If you have been paying attention over the last few months you know that the United States government has been nice enough to offer a hand full out bailouts to major corporations such as General Motors. They have also been so kind as to offer the American people a little gift to help stimulate the economy. It did not work, obviously, but they sent out check after check in hopes of jolting this economy back into the black. (That is not a reference to the color of our president’s skin just to be clear.)
But this week the police department in Fort Lauderdale decided that they wanted to give out their own little stimulus. The police department in Fort Lauderdale sent out letters to known fugitives promising a bailout check. Going by the name, the “South Florida Coalition” the fugitives were asked to call a hot line to schedule a time for him or her to come meet with a representative and pick up their checks.
Once the date and time were set the fugitive would make his or her way to the staged auditorium, ask for their stimulus, and promptly be arrested for said crime. During this sting operation some seventy-five criminals were arrested with crimes ranging from grant theft auto to attempted murder.
The sting operation lasted only two days but seems to have gathered some attention. According to the a spokesman from the Fort Lauderdale police department, Frank Sousa, this operation saved numerous man hours, as well as allowing for these sometimes dangerous criminals to be be arrested in a controlled environment. This made it not only safer for those making the arrests, but also for the Fort Lauderdale community as well. The police department also announced that they will be trying a second round of this sting operation in the near future in hopes of grabbing a few of the criminals that slipped through the this time.
My only question would be how stupid do you think that these criminals are? Sure, you got seventy-five of them this time, but do you think they will be stupid enough to let that happen again? This just happened and is already being broadcast on the national news. If you were a criminal on the loose I can almost guarantee that you are watching the nightly news to avoid being suckered into something like this. Sure, they might get a few more arrests if they attempt this again, but there will not ever be an outcome like the experienced this time. And this goes for any other police department that is thinking of something like this in the future. Think harder. Think outside the box. Come up with your own ideas. The stimulus that the government gave the hard working people of the USA didn’t work; what makes you think that your stimulus will be any different?
This same thing actually has been done before by police in different jurisdictions and continues to work to some extent.
I can’t think that the cost as far as time or money is very high for something like this, hence the appeal to the police.