To Get Kids Across Street, Vegas Deploys ... Leprechaun

City has seen rate of pedestrians killed in crosswalks spike
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 16, 2014 10:20 AM CDT
To Get Kids Across Street, Vegas Deploys ... Leprechaun
Vegas officials put a police officer dressed as a leprechaun near a school to curb jaywalkers.   (The News-Dispatch, Jessica O'Brien)

Las Vegas officials worried about the safety of pedestrians crossing the street did what any municipality might: They stuck a cop dressed as a leprechaun on a street corner by a school for a day, reports 8 News Now. It's actually a lighthearted approach to a pretty serious problem: Last year, 57 people were killed in Las Vegas crosswalks, and 140 kids were hit by cars. "I was crossing the street and basically one car stopped for me and the other one kept going as fast as it could," says one 14-year-old student at the school. "My heart was beating so fast." One mom who lives across the street from the school calls the crossing "a battlefield" for her kids. And Friday's leprechaun effort netted some results: Officials issued citations to more than 60 people. (More strange stuff stories.)

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