A recent report from one of our most treasured local radio stations, KCLU, describes a Ventura County Sheriff’s program that graciously rewards kids who are “caught” following safety rules or doing good deeds, such as opening doors for people. The name of the program is “Operation Chill.”
The concept is laudatory. It demonstrates to the citizenry, especially children, that our sheriffs are not interested only in arresting people who do bad things. The program teaches children that being safe and helping others is noticed by responsible adults who admire this behavior.
The problem, however, is the nature of the “reward.”
