Police in a small Oregon city have raised eyebrows with their plan for Halloween fun: Neighbors are invited to flee through a park, pursued by armed officers, in a bid to win a prize.
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“It’s basically your only chance to run from the cops without consequences!” says the announcement of the Sherwood Police Department’s Hide & Seek With a Cop.
The hundreds of responses on Facebook include: “Nawww, I’ve seen this episode of ‘Cops,’” and “Every time I try to play this game I get nailed with extra charges like ‘fleeing’ or ‘resisting.’” One reader asked if they would be using dogs.
The police department confirmed to the Oregonian that the officers would be uniformed and carrying holstered guns, as the goal is to encourage people to become comfortable interacting with police who are on duty.
The event, on the night of Oct. 30, is open to people 12 and up. From the starting point, competitors will attempt to make it to the far end of the park — about a third of a mile if they stick to the path through a wooded area. At that halfway point they’ll collect a second wristband; if they can return to the start without being tagged (subdued?) by an officer, they’ll get an unspecified prize.
Sherwood is a city of about 20,000 people, southwest of Portland.