Chuckle-Worthy Post of the Day; Ingenuity From Law Enforcement Officers

A tip of the hat to Jammie @ JammieWearingFool for this amusing and ingenious story. It comes from the Chicago Sun-Times:

You could already be a winner -- if you weren't going to jail.

That's the bad news 61 fugitives got after being lured to a suburban hotel with news they had won a $1,000 gift card and the chance to take home a big-screen TV.

Earlier this month, people wanted on outstanding warrants got a letter in the mail from "Shoptastic Solutions" -- Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart's fictitious marketing outfit -- promising prizes and no gimmicks.

All they had to do was check the enclosed scratch-off ticket to see if they had won -- which, of course, they all did. The "winners" were told to call in their shopper number -- which actually was their warrant number -- to schedule an appointment to complete a shopping survey and pick up their prize.

At a hotel near Midway Airport, an undercover officer in a funny hat shot off streamers as the winners walked in. While they filled out the survey, sheriff's police -- hiding in closets -- popped out with zip-tie handcuffs and the big surprise.

Dart said he got a kick out of the bust."We tried to tap in to the Christmas spirit and throw a big dose of the Grinch on top of it," Dart said. "The Grinch definitely struck here, and the Grinch had a lot of fun. The Grinch will return, probably in a different way."

The sheriff said most of the bad guys and girls got a good laugh at the clever bust, too.

"One guy in particular came up to me and told me this was the best one ever. I got the impression this wasn't his first time," Dart said.

This is very amusing. I wonder if Sheriff Arpaio has thought of doing such a thing like this? It could not hurt to try it.

Marcie