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Rewarding People For Good Behavior

West Virginia Ethics Commission members had to block a great idea last week – but that doesn’t mean it should not be rethought and tried again.

Commissioners ruled on a proposal by the police force in an unnamed municipality, to hand out “good deed cards” to people officers see engaged in desirable behavior. Noticing a child wearing a helmet while bicycling was mentioned.

Ethics panel members noted the cards would be furnished by a restaurant and could be redeemed for free food. That would be an improper endorsement of the specific restaurant, commissioners decided.

Perhaps so. Still, it’s a wonderful idea – one local law enforcement agencies may want to consider. Surely there’s some way to tweak it to make it ethically acceptable.

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