Brenda Thompson, left, hugs Briana Wheeler during an unusual traffic stop in Glasgow Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. Wheeler was one of several recipients of $100 from River Lake Church in Glasgow. Sgt. Wesley Hicks stands toward the back.
(BRENNAN CRAIN/WCLU NEWS)
GLASGOW, Ky. — Briana Wheeler was one of several people stopped by Glasgow Police Monday evening to spread Christmas cheer.
River Lake Church partnered with Glasgow Police again as a part of the “Let Hope In” initiative. The church has funded the holiday-themed community outreach for several years.
Brenda Thompson, a volunteer with River Lake Church, participated in the event for the first time this year. She frequents a convenient store in Glasgow, and one of the stops revealed a familiar face.
“She’s just a pleasant young lady, and she talks to just about anybody that comes in there – treats everybody respectfully,” Thompson said. “She’s always at work. She always pulls other shifts if she can.”
Thompson said she noticed Wheeler wasn’t at work recently. She later discovered Wheeler had to be away from work to take her child to a physician in Louisville.
“She’s just one of those people that once you meet her, you know she’s a good person and works hard for her family,” Thompson said.
Wheeler soon began to cry when she noticed Thompson amid the flashing aura of Sgt. Wesley Hicks’ cruiser lights. The two hugged each other – Thompson expressing her excitement, and Wheeler expressing her gratitude.
Hicks said every day on the job is different. Traffic stops are often the first contact many people have with law enforcement.
But Monday’s stops weren’t typical.
Many were uneasy once the blue lights began to flash behind their cars, but the worry soon subsided when the officer presented something other than a ticket.
Notecards with $100 bills were given out at each traffic stop, and no one saw them coming.
“It just helps us,” Hicks said. “It gives us a change of pace and different interaction with the community.”
Hicks said he’s participated in the event the last three years.
The church donated a generous $2,400 to this year’s initiative.