Santa came early for several Clackamas County residents this year — and he carried a badge.
He came in the form of Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts, who followed through with his department’s (modified) annual tradition of Secret Santa: stopping unsuspected residents and handing them — instead of the ticket they might be expecting — $100 cash.
The money comes from members of the public, who generously donated more than $10,000 to the sheriff’s office specifically for this purpose, Roberts said in a Facebook post.
“Our generous donors want nothing more than to know they may have brought some joy to a stranger and created a positive interaction with law enforcement at the same time,” the post said.
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It’s time for ” #SecretSanta 2020: The Movie”!Once again, anonymous donors gave the Sheriff’s Office over $10,000 to distribute to local residents over the holidays, $100 at a time.Here are just a few of the wonderful encounters that followed…. pic.twitter.com/i0KqZPRV2S
Throughout Clackamas County, CCSO employees will be “looking for that special person to offer these gifts to,” the sheriff’s office said. It could be a person down on their luck, a good Samaritan or just for whom the deputy wanted to brighten their day.
Sheriff Roberts kicked the event off earlier this week, visiting several different offices of the CCSO, including Community Corrections, the A Safe Place Family Justice Center and the Patrol Division.
Next, he hit the road to a few lucky souls to surprise.
“There were a few who were shocked or surprised,” the sheriff’s office said. “One person was left speechless. There were even a few tears. What we saw the most were smiles. Well, at least they were smiling under their mask.”
Sheriff Roberts and his entourage made sure to be conscious of Covid-19 precautions, officials said.
Photos courtesy the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office:
