PINE KNOLL SHORES, N.C. — In a unique initiative to promote water safety, Pine Knoll Shores Police Chief Ryan Thompson and his officers have been issuing tickets that offer a sweet reward rather than a fine. The tickets, redeemable for free ice cream, are part of a program aimed at educating families about water safety.
“The ocean is inherently the most dangerous thing that we have, so it’s important for us to be out there,” said Chief Thompson. The department has partnered with AB Ice Cream & Candy Shop for the past five years to distribute these tickets.
“We were looking for some new ways to kind of address water safety education, and just some ways to reach out to the public on water safety,” Thompson explained. The initiative encourages children to wear life jackets, arm floaties, or use boogie boards while at the beach. “It allows us to connect with their parents and reinforce that behavior to their parents and have a little bit of fun while we’re doing it,” he added.
Don Grant, co-owner of AB Ice Cream & Candy Shop, supports the program wholeheartedly. “The first year he asked me if he could do 100, and I said sure, and the next year it went up, and this year I said I don’t care what you do,” Grant said. “It’s really about just rewarding kids for doing the right thing.”
The initiative has been well-received by both children and parents. Andrew, a young recipient of the ticket, expressed his excitement, saying he was “really, really, really, really excited.” Parents like John Hall from Virginia and Amber Vennoy from Kentucky appreciate the positive interaction between the police and the community. “The kids love it, now they get to go get some ice cream so she’s excited and we’re excited,” said Hall. Vennoy added, “I think it’s great, I think that anything the public can see, the police force interacting with the public in a positive way is always great, especially with children.”
Chief Thompson noted the program’s success in improving water safety. “The more we’ve been out there writing tickets, the fewer water rescues we’ve had to do. We’ve seen our water rescues decline drastically over the last five years,” he said.
Carol Helsabeck from Oklahoma expressed her gratitude for the initiative, saying, “I love it, and it makes me feel so good as a parent to have them going by and just checking on and checking on the kids and it just gives you a little bit more ease in the water, because water can be so dangerous.”
