Michigan Police Hand Out Turkeys Instead of Tickets for Thanksgiving

Well this would be a nice surprise. Imagine instead of getting a speeding ticket getting a Thanksgiving turkey!

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For the past several years, a Michigan police department has upheld its "Turkeys not Tickets" tradition.

And the free turkeys aren't just given out during traffic stops!

Ingham County Sheriff's Office Thanksgiving Tradition

Ingham County is in mid-Michigan and includes the cities of Lansing, Mason, Williamston, and Okemos.

Each year leading up to Thanksgiving, the Ingham County Sheriff's Office hosts "Turkeys not Tickets".

What is Ingham County's "Turkeys not Tickets"?

Earlier this week, the Ingham County Sheriff's Office shared to Facebook,

The annual Turkeys not Tickets Tradition is yet another success. For the past several years, retired Sheriff Gene Wriggleworth and his wife Sandy have dropped off turkeys to the Sherriff's Office around Thanksgiving for us to hand out to the citizens of Ingham County.

The random acts of kindness have included turkeys being given out during traffic stops in lieu of tickets.

The department also gives the turkeys to people who are being released from jail and have not been able to prepare for the holiday.

Comments on the police department's post have been mostly positive.

Kathy says,

So happy to have such a community-oriented police force!

Brenda writes,

That's awesome. Thank you for your service. Happy Thanksgiving!

Some people had jokes.

Kay says,

Oops! Gotta go. Got some speeding to do.

In response to officers giving turkeys to those transitioning out of jail, Jessica points out,

The sentiment is nice but I hope you realize most people leaving jail aren't going home to a kitchen they can cook a full turkey in.