Deputy dressed as the Grinch hands out onions to speeding drivers

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. — Forget coal. Speeding drivers in one Florida county are getting onions from none other than the Grinch himself.

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Drivers who were speeding through a school zone in Monroe County on Wednesday got an unforgettable reminder to slow down from the Grinch.

Col. Lou Caputo came up with the idea 20 years ago to offer speeding drivers a choice between a traffic citation and an onion, all while dressed as the Grinch, The Associated Press reported. It’s become a tradition ever since.

“It’s about education, awareness that our school zones are still operating even though it’s the holiday season,” Caputo told the AP. “We want people to slow down.”

In a video posted to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page, the Grinch is visible in the background speaking to drivers as a deputy explains both the sheriff’s office and state police will be conducting enhanced patrols looking for speeding or impaired drivers.

“It catches them off guard,” Caputo told the AP. “But when I give them a clear choice of a citation or the onion, they will take the onion. And I’ve had them eat the onion right in front of me.”

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