San Francisco Police Are Fighting Crime By Dressing up in Inflatable Chicken Costumes to Catch Drivers Speeding Through Crosswalks
Look guys, San Francisco has to start somewhere. The homicide rate rose by 83% last year. Overall violent crime by 4%. The homeless population continues to skyrocket. Kale salads cost $32 a leaf. An earthquake is liable to decimate half the city at any moment. The city has seen better days.
There's a lot of people who are critical of San Francisco and they way they handle... well, everything about their city. But at least they have somebody like Police Capt. Amy Hurwitz who's taking logical, tangible steps to improve the safety of the Bay Area one harebrained scheme at a time.
NY Post - The San Francisco Police Department is dressing up in inflatable chicken costumes to catch drivers speeding past crosswalks in a new stunt.
SFGate reported Monday on San Francisco police Lt. Jonathan Ozol wearing the costume while walking down a crosswalk on Alemany Boulevard near the intersection of Rousseau Street. The idea, Capt. Amy Hurwitz explained, is for drivers to take notice and yield to pedestrians.
And before you say, "Wow, her big idea was to go out and buy an inflatable chicken costume and have an officer stand next to a crosswalk?" No. They've done more than that. They've bought multiple inflatable costumes, including a unicorn and a Big Bird (pictures unfortunately not available)
Monday’s exercise was the fifth one conducted over the last six months. Each featured an officer crossing different intersections dressed in a different costume, sometimes as a unicorn or Big Bird
In all seriousness, I feel like that's a decent idea. I've always kind of thought it was bullshit when police in unmarked cars sit on the side of the highway and pull over drivers for going 65 in a 50. But if you're a driver speeding through a crosswalk when there's a pedestrian standing right there about to cross, you probably deserve a ticket for that. Not that I wouldn't be fucking pissed if I got a traffic ticket at the hands of a man in a chicken costume. But you should be aware enough driving to slow down at crosswalks.
Although I will say, I think I might be more inclined to stop for a pedestrian wearing regular clothing than someone in a chicken costume. Out the corner of my eye I'm not sure I'd even recognize the cop in a chicken costume as a person. It looks more like something a cheap car dealership who couldn't afford a full sized wacky-wavy-inflatable-arm-flailing-tubeman would put out front of their lot to attract customers.
Also, if you're just a random guy going about your day dressed as fucking Big Bird… I can think of worse people to be pulverized by a Tesla.
I'm assuming there's another cop about a half mile up the road who's actually pulling these drivers over. But I would like to see a situation play out where someone on foot commits a crime in front of the chicken cop. Say an unruly teenager snatches a purse from a sweet old lady. Then the costume wearing cop is forced to chase the thief through the streets of San Francisco while dressed as an inflatable chicken. I'm not advocating for any sweet old ladies to have their purses snatched or anything. But like… that would be a pretty wacky foot chase. That's a scene straight out of Reno 911.
Either way, the police say it's working. Apparently cars have been slowing down at that specific crosswalk more than ever before. So I guess the inflatable costumes work. Maybe San Francisco PD should start using more fabulous Halloween costumes to fight crime. Couldn't hurt to try.