Ohio Police 'ticket' kids this summer

The Brimfield Township Chief of Police has ordered his officers to issue as many tickets as possible -- at least one per shift -- and to specifically target children. Officers are already filling their quotas, and people on social media are cheering them on.

Any kid caught riding a bike while wearing a helmet will get a ticket -- for a free ice cream cone.

Chief David Oliver is known for his humorous open letters to criminals on Facebook. He posted the police-issued prank to the social-networking site, saying, “My officers will have a quota for tickets. We are going to be profiling, too. We will target a specific group, with the express purpose of writing as many tickets as possible... it is called Operation Safe Summer.”

Operation Safe Summer is an annual tradition offers residents of the Ohio town a refreshing reward to incentivize helmet use. Local ice cream stand Franks Drive-In will accept the "tickets" all summer, and the owner added that he hopes officers will "write kids up" for any acts of kindness or bravery they witness.

Commenters on the Brimfield Police Facebook page are praising the department for promoting not just safety, but positive interaction between youth and cops.

Local resident Kelly Jones told FOX8 her son was "all over it" when the program was announced. "As soon as he heard about it, he came home from school, riding around with his helmet on, just waiting for somebody to pull him over,” she said.