Police Hand Out Holiday Cheer Instead Of Tickets

PELICAN BAY, TX (CBSDFW.COM) -- Police on patrol in a small town in North Texas on Christmas gave residents the surprise of their lives.

Pelican Bay Police were out on the hunt on Thursday, trying to pull over as many people as they could.

Officers like Matthew Thomas were not after giving out tickets, but holiday cheer.

"Thank you!" screamed resident Debra Golliday.

Having worked on Christmas, Golliday was one of the dozens who was given a gift card instead of a ticket.

"You won't believe the customers I've had today. They were about shooting my spirit here. But y'all just lifted it right back up," said Golliday.

With public perception of police at a low due to the recent fatal shootings in Missouri and New York, it was as much for the public as it was for police.

"Today we get to show that the police department does have a heart. We're all normal people," said Officer Thomas.

The department is hoping those who received gift cards will pay it forward to someone else out there in the world.

Follow CBS11 News reporter Jeff Paul on Twitter

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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