Officer dressed as turkey patrols Vegas crosswalks
Posted: November 27, 2013 - 4:14am
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A giant turkey is roving crosswalks in Las Vegas to squawk on drivers who don't yield to pedestrians.
Officers dressed in Thanksgiving bird finery are walking across the road Tuesday as part of a sting operation. It's the fifth annual appearance of the safety mascot dubbed "Butterball One."
Police waiting to the sides of the crosswalks are slapping drivers who don't stop with fines starting at $191.
The festive campaign underscores a sobering problem in southern Nevada. Safety advocates say 46 pedestrians have died so far this year in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located. That's ahead of last year's pace.
Butterball One is patrolling at Balzar Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard, near where two pedestrians were killed in two separate crashes since September.