PHOENIX – Contrary to an inaccurate local news report that created a backlash, Tempe police have no plans to stop safe drivers to give them a reward.

“We will not be pulling over any vehicles,” Detective Greg Bacon told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.

“We will not be making any stops of subjects on bicycles or pedestrians in reference to this event.”

The event is the city’s back-to-school “Positive Ticketing Campaign,” which is designed to encourage safe behavior for scooter riders, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Please review the final update regarding our most recent safety campaign. pic.twitter.com/zpr5gOfxZU — Tempe Police (@TempePolice) July 29, 2019

As part of the program, police officers will reward positive behaviors they see with coupons for a free beverage from Circle K if they encounter the person later.

For example, Bacon said a school resource officer might reward students on campus after seeing them riding their bicycles safely earlier in the day.

Bacon said officers will also engage citizens getting onto bicycles or scooters and ask if they’d like to discuss safety and traffic laws. Those who agree to have the conversation will get coupons.

“This is all part of the city of Tempe’s Vision Zero, to have zero fatalities, to reduce the number of serious injury accidents within the city,” Bacon said.

“It’s a positive thing. It’s a way for our officers to be a little more human in terms of interaction and positive interaction with the community and something that’s meant to be a very good thing.”

The campaign kicked off Monday, and officers expect to have the coupons to hand out later this week, Bacon said. There’s no scheduled time frame for how long the program will last.

An outcry ensued on social media after 12 News erroneously reported that officers would be pulling over drivers to hand out the coupons, with some calling it a poorly conceived plan and others questioning the constitutionality of it.

But that was never the department’s intention.

“We just want to have those positive conversations with the public and give them a drink — it’s 110 degrees outside — and let them cool off a little bit,” Bacon said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Martha Maurer contributed to this report.

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