St. Louis Police hand out $100 bills for holiday

This year, police in the St. Louis area participated in a Secret Santa program where officers pulled people over in order to give them $100. Some officers went to specific families they knew from their beats, while others stopped drivers and gave out money instead of tickets.

“It’s an absolutely great idea to show officers in a positive light. Especially post-Ferguson, obviously our relationship with the community has been strained,” Police Chief Sam Dotson told St Louis Today.

While skeptics on social media have questioned if the new holiday program is nothing more than “bribery,” the people who have received the money have been mostly grateful, and the officers are happy to have a chance to rebuild their relationships with the public.

“People’s perception of us can become negative very easy,” says Officer Silas Ellis. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, we are showing up in a crisis.”