MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — With Thanksgiving less than two weeks away, the Miami Gardens police chief stepped in for traffic enforcement Friday — but with a holiday twist.

It wasn’t a typical traffic stop. Drivers were pulled over for real violations, including speeding, failing to use turn signals and not wearing seat belts.

“You know why I stopped you? No turn signal and you don’t even have your seat belt on,” Chief Delma Noel-Pratt told a driver during a traffic stop.

Noel-Pratt told another driver, “You were speeding 15 miles over the limit.”

But instead of tickets, Noel-Pratt and her officers handed out frozen turkeys.

“I’m not going to give you a ticket today,” Noel-Pratt told a driver as she returned their registration. “I want to give you a turkey for Thanksgiving.”

Police said the goal is to educate drivers, encourage safer speeds and create positive interactions between officers and the community.

“We are so happy to be able to bless them with a turkey,” Noel-Pratt said.

The agency has conducted the Thanksgiving giveaway for several years. Noel-Pratt said giving back is more important than ever.

“It’s also important for the public to understand that we’re human and we do have a heart behind this badge,” she said. “And we’d like to give back in many, many ways.”

The Miami Gardens Police Department gave away 60 turkeys as of Friday morning.

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