COCONUT CREEK, FLA. (WSVN) - It’s hard to have a happy birthday while being in quarantine, especially for children, but a South Florida city’s police department is on birthday patrol.
Birthdays may not have been so happy for many South Florida residents recently, but the Coconut Creek Police Department just came up with the perfect gift idea for all its April babies.
Coconut Creek Police officers are doing birthday responder duty, driving around the city with lights and sirens, singing those four words so many want to hear on their big day: happy birthday to you.
Cellphone video captured several marked and unmarked police vehicles cruising down a street.
“Happy birthday from the City of Coconut Creek,” an officer is heard saying.
“When I heard them singing our names, I got scared. I didn’t know what I did,” said birthday boy David Vilar.
The visitors in uniform also have some swag, like lollipops and pens, to give out to the honorees in small brown bags.
All Coconut Creek residents have to do is write an email to birthday@coconutcreek.net, and the police department will coordinate with the parent or guardian.
Coconut Creek Vice Mayor Joshua Rydell said the reaction from residents has been ecstatic.
“Great reaction. The little guy had almost tears in his eyes of excitement, but that’s the point,” he said. “Kids don’t necessarily know what’s going on right now, and this is an opportunity to bring them some happiness.”
It’s also a relief for parents, who don’t know what to do for their children this year.
“We had to cancel the birthday party we had planned for them,” said Cynthia Vilar, David’s mother, “and all their friends we so excited about it. They were so excited about it. I’m pretty sure they’ll never forget about this.”
The patrols are also restoring a bit of normalcy to a strange new world.
“Hopefully, next year, we’ll have a big birthday party for them,” said Cynthia.
Rydell said the police department plans to continue doing the birthday patrols until at least the end of April.
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