By Suzie Ziegler
VALLEY COUNTY, Idaho — It’s now an annual tradition for one Idaho sheriff’s office. Every November since 2015, Valley County sheriff’s deputies have been surprising drivers with a Thanksgiving turkey instead of a ticket.
It’s part of a community engagement program called “Turkeys or Tickets”, according to KTVB. More than 50 people will get a turkey – donated by local partners – instead of a ticket when they’re stopped by deputies between November 15-24. The sheriff’s office is partnering with an environmental non-profit called the Tamarack Environmental Protection Association (TEPA).
The initiative was renamed the Jan West Memorial Turkey or Tickets program after West, who spearheaded the program, died of cancer in 2018.
Organizers say more than 500 turkeys have been given out since the program began in 2015, according to KTVB.