To cut down on cars running down pedestrians, apparently a big problem in Fort Lee, New Jersey, police have created an "elaborate sting operation" in which an officer dressed as Donald Duck would try to cross the street, netting fines for drivers who didn't stop.
Motorist Karen Haigh was one such driver this Halloween, and she's fighting her $230 ticket because she reckon's this safety awareness campaign is baloney. "It was scary! It was a huge... duck. If it was a normal person... I would have stopped," she told WABC7. After watching 7's footage of the bait-duck in action, I think I can see where she's coming from. That duck is all over the place and looks shady as hell.
And here's a way dumber/funnier version of the same story:
Fort Lee Police Chief Keith Bendul says two years ago, 62 people were stuck by cars. Now he's "happy to report" the annual car-vs-pedestrian incident count is down to 40. Still doesn't sound terrific, and frankly I think he might have better luck posting a duck who uses the crosswalk normally as opposed to staggering around the pavement like a maniac.
The duck-strut sting (which would be a great official codename for this operation) is apparently something Fort Lee PD enacts "randomly throughout the year." I can only imagine drivers are even more sketched out by some guy in a full-body mascot suit on the 364 days of the year that are not Halloween.