Ocala PD spreads holiday cheer by giving cash, not tickets

$5,200 in $100 bills given out

Stacy Greenhut, Social Media Producer

Published: December 20, 2018 at 12:06 PM

OCALA, Fla. – Getting pulled over can be stressful, especially during the holidays, when you might be tight on cash and unable to pay a ticket.

The Ocala Police Department recently launched its Operation OPD Secret Santa for the second year in a row.

Instead of handing over tickets when pulling people over, the officers handed out cash.

A total of $5,200 in $100 bills was handed out to Ocala citizens to spread holiday cheer.

One surprise interaction was caught on camera, and the woman couldn’t have been happier to receive the money instead of a ticket for an expired tag.

Thank you, Ocala PD, for bringing happiness and sometimes tears of joys to your citizens.

2nd ANNUAL OPERATION OPD SECRET SANTA: 1
2nd ANNUAL OPERATION OPD SECRET SANTA: “The rain ain’t stopping me.” –Sgt. Eric Hooper In just four days, OPD distributed $5,200 in $100 bills to citizens throughout our city via random acts of generosity; made possible by several anonymous donors. This is one of many surprise interactions caught on camera and we’ll be sharing our favorite videos over the next week, to continue spreading cheer. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from your Ocala Police Department! Special thanks to Santa’s Elves: Major Lou Biondi Captain Charlie Eades Lieutenant Mike Spicer Sergeant Chuck Long Sergeant Eric Hooper CSO Jordan Pagano Officer Emily Genther Officer Erik Cabrales
Posted by Ocala Police Department on Tuesday, December 18, 2018

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