7-Eleven^® Celebrates a Generation of Good Will with Operation Chill^®

(Corpus Christi, Texas) (August 4, 2015) – 7-Eleven^® celebrates a generation of good behavior this year. For 20 years, U.S. police officers have been ticketing kids with Operation Chill^® FREE Slurpee^® drink coupons. Many of those kids are adults now, and may even have children of their own who are eligible to receive a frozen treat for good behavior, compliments of 7-Eleven^® and the Corpus Christi Police Department.

Begun in Philadelphia to give law enforcement officers a positive reason to interact with children and teens, Operation Chill has expanded to cities across the country. Through Operation Chill®, law enforcement officers from participating local police and sheriff’s departments can “ticket” youngsters caught in the act of doing good with Slurpee® beverage coupons. Appropriate “offenses” might include helping another person, deterring crime or participating in a positive activity in the community. Each coupon can be redeemed for a small Slurpee drink at participating 7-Eleven stores.

Since the program’s inception in 1995, nearly 14 million Operation Chill coupons have been distributed to hundreds of law enforcement agencies across the country in areas where 7-Eleven operates stores. During 2015, up to 1.25 million coupons will be issued nationally; most during the summer months and back-to-school season.

“This is a wonderful way for our officers to praise kids for doing the right thing in our community. As our officers reinforce positive behaviors we hope that the children continue to make positive choices in their lives,” said Interim Chief Mike Markle.

Operation Chill was developed by 7-Eleven, Inc. to positively reward and encourage good behavior by kids during the hot summer months, when communities may experience increases in loitering, shoplifting, and graffiti, and to support law enforcement agencies’ community relations projects. Police use the Operation Chill program to reward youth for their good deeds as well as enhance their relations with the young people of their city.

“I don’t know who likes the Operation Chill program more, police officers or kids,” said Mark Stinde, 7-Eleven vice president Asset Protection.  “Police officers have told us they love having a positive reason to approach kids and surprise them with a Slurpee coupon, just for being good citizens.”

7-Eleven’s proprietary Slurpee semi-frozen carbonated beverage has generational appeal with slurpers both young and old. More than a half-million Slurpee drinks are purchased each day during the summer at 7-Eleven stores across the country.

There are six 7-Eleven stores in Corpus Christi.

# # #

The Ski Basin Marine Patrol Initiative will begin this weekend on Padre Island. 

Dive Team officers and Uniform Personnel will work together as a unit to patrol the ski basin waterways by boat to enforce city and state laws in an area usually not accessible to law enforcement. 

The goal of this operation is to provide a safe atmosphere in the ski basin waterway through strong law enforcement presence and diligent enforcement of offenses such as boating while intoxicated, public intoxication, drug possession, underage consumption of alcohol, intoxication assault and stem the dangerous operation of watercraft in this area.

This initiative will begin this weekend and continue until the end of Labor Day weekend, Monday, September 7, 2015. The shifts will begin after 12 noon each weekend day. 

 Point of contact

Capt. Kelly Isaacks

(361) 774-5747 

kisaacks@cctexas.com

The Corpus Christi Police Department  recognized Courtney Best, and awarded her with a  Citizens Certificate of Merit at a ceremony this morning at the police department.

On July 9, the Alice Police Department issued an Amber Alert just after 11:30 AM regarding a 7 year old male that had been abducted from their city.  It was also relayed to law enforcement that the suspect involved was now wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for kidnapping the child. Further information was relayed on the Amber Alert that the suspect was driving a white, 2009 Dodge, Avenger four door car.

At 12:08 PM, Courtney Best an employee at the Papa Murphy’s Pizza, located at 4020 Weber Road, in the Hamlin Shopping Center called Corpus Christi Police to report that she saw the vehicle parked in the parking lot.  Officers arrived just as the vehicle was exiting the parking lot and turning onto South Staples Street. The Officers were able to stop the car and take the suspect into custody in the parking lot of CCFD Fire Station 7.

The Officers were able to secure the young boy, and he did not appear to suffer any injuries.

The awareness and quick actions of Ms. Best helped keep a young child from being injured and assisted our Officers in taking a wanted person into custody.

Interim Police Chief Mike Markle presents Courtney Best with a Citizens Certificate of Merit

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers has rewards available for collection for those who want the cash.

The Corpus Christi Crime Stoppers approved eight rewards this past four weeks for the apprehension of fugitives and drugs. The rewards are for anonymous tips which apprehended 34-year-old Mary Martinez on the 6000 block of Bobtail Drive who was a fugitive for an assault related to case number 15002662. A person called in to Crime Stoppers to complain about a drug house on the 3800 block of Caravelle Parkway which resulted in the arrest of 31-year-old Henry Munoz (4/16/1984) for the possession of over 2 ounces of marijuana in case #1506050109. Three fugitives were featured on the Crime Stoppers Wheel of Shame: 29-year-old Felicia Felan (12/27/1985) (Case #15002958); 26-year-old Jessica Garza (10/19/1988)(Case #15003115); and 24-year-old Mark Salinas (4/15/1991)(Case #15003146) and apprehended by Crime Stoppers tips so the reward was increased for those fugitives. A suspect was identified for stealing jewelry with case number 1506010107. Crime Stoppers tips also located two fugitives, Daniel Fretwell (case #1506300147 wanted for probation violation) and Sylvia Rincon (Case #1500350) who was wanted for fraud.

Thank you to all who called Crime Stoppers to provide tips in an effort to make Corpus Christi a safer community. Crime Stoppers knows there are many reasons a person needs to keep their identity secret when providing information to law enforcement such as that the suspect in the crime may be a family member, a neighbor, a co-worker, or some dynamic which subjects a tipster to retaliation. Rewards are offered by Crime Stoppers in order to overcome apathy and to appeal to a segment of the community who are normally unwilling hostile to communicate with law enforcement. Crime Stoppers guarantees to keep the identity of the tipster secret.

Crime Stoppers is a non-profit organization not funded by tax dollars and gains funds for operating expenses and rewards solely by donations and the organization is operated by volunteers.

Anyone with information about an unsolved crime should call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or submit the tip online at http://www.888TIPS.com. Information which leads to an arrest may earn the tipster a cash reward. Anyone who believes they provided a tips that is eligible for a reward should call 888-TIPS on Thursdays to check the status of their tip. If the tipster is due a reward, they will be provided instructions how to collect the cash reward which keeps their identity secret through the entire process.