The Easter Bunny made me do it!
By laglen
@laglen (19759)
United States
April 2, 2010 6:34pm CST
GLENDALE, Calif. -- Glendale police who used a bunny costume to decoy bad drivers at crosswalks have abandoned the outfit after it made a city councilman hopping mad.
An officer wore the Easter outfit on Wednesday in crosswalks. Drivers who didn't yield to the furry pedestrian were ticketed.
But City Councilman John Drayman harshly criticized the head-turning costume, calling it "breathtakingly dangerous" and a poor use of city resources.
Glendale police continued the crosswalk sting on Thursday but the officer wore shorts and a T-shirt. A city spokesman says the city is reevaluating the use of costumes for enforcement campaigns.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/02/calif-councilman-cops-bunny-costume-poor-use-city-resources/?test=latestnews
Do you think this was a good idea or bad? Do the cops in your area do this? I would love love love to see our Chief of Police dressed in this!
1 person likes this
6 responses
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
3 Apr 10
We have a big ole deputy who would look great dressed up as the Easter Bunny. 
Seriously though, I think dressing up in costume is a distraction to drivers on the road so I don't believe that's a very good idea. I also think the intent was to encourage drivers to behave in a way they wouldn't normally...after all, it wasn't a real person, it was the Easter Bunny.
Our deputies don't do stings like that...probably because we only have 2 crosswalks in the entire town.
Seriously though, I think dressing up in costume is a distraction to drivers on the road so I don't believe that's a very good idea. I also think the intent was to encourage drivers to behave in a way they wouldn't normally...after all, it wasn't a real person, it was the Easter Bunny.
Our deputies don't do stings like that...probably because we only have 2 crosswalks in the entire town. 
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
3 Apr 10
I live in a small town that has lots of big city traffic in the summer. Several time I have had to almost yank my grand daughter backwards and knock her down because a car would not stop even though there is a sign telling them to stop for people in the crosswalk.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
3 Apr 10
No, we have a whole bunch of deputies...way more than we need for this little town. It smells of entrapment to me, too, but no more so than having a female officer pretending to be a hooker. Just because the temptation is there doesn't mean you haaaave to break the law but playing in traffic is dangerous.
@smacksman (6053)
•
3 Apr 10
My dog loves chasing rabbits!
I wonder what the defence in court would be? 'Judge, she didn't know there was a pig inside the rabbit!'
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
3 Apr 10
Our community does it a little differently during the Christmas season. The police report cars they see stopping for people and report them to the Chamber of Commerce and their name is entered into a drawing for a $50 weekly gift certificate. The Chamber wants people to feel safe shopping in town rather than going to the large city with the shopping malls.
@danishcanadian (28954)
• Canada
3 Apr 10
Personally I think it was a real distraction. People do enough "rubbernecking" on the road, and them looking over at the giant bunny could definitely cause an accident. I think an unmarked police car would have been a better approach, if they wanted to nail people for tickets.
@hofferp (4734)
• United States
3 Apr 10
I believe people probably acted/drove better (actually stopped for a "pedestrian" in the crosswalk, if nothing else to look at the Easter Bunny) than if the Easter Bunny had been a regular pedestrian. I'm betting they issued more tickets when the policeman was in shorts and a t-shirt, than when they did when he was the Easter Bunny... I don't agree that it was "breathtakingly dangerous" (the councilman was probably ticketed...) and I really don't have a problem with the police department doing this. Heck they dress up as the "Something Crime Dog"...at least they do in Las Cruces.
