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BRIGHAM CITY — Police in Box Elder County connected with their communities during the month of July as they competed to see which department could stop at the most kids' lemonade stands.
Brigham City police issued the challenge July 3 as a team-building exercise for the departments while also offering local kids a chance to interact with police officers. Brigham City Police Master Officer Crystal Beck said police departments in Box Elder County have a "unique relationship" in how they support and cooperate with each other.
"Typically, children only get to come across law enforcement officers at special events or when a traumatic incident has happened, like a car accident or something," Beck said. "This was to show that kids can trust us, and we can get to more of a human level with them."
For the contest, Brigham City police encouraged young entrepreneurs throughout the county to set up stands selling anything from lemonade to cotton candy to drawings. Officers then visited stands and posted a picture, with parental permission, to the departments' respective Facebook pages.
This also follows bill SB151 being signed into law by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on March 17. This law exempts kids operating lemonade stands from being held to food preparation regulations applied to farmers' markets and was proposed for the sake of fostering young entrepreneurship.
Tremonton-Garland police won the contest with visits to 54 stands during the month of July. In a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Tremonton-Garland Police Chief Dustin Cordova said he was "incredibly proud" of his officers.
"The effort they put into this competition was nothing short of inspiring," Cordova said. "As a department, we have far less staffing and resources than many competitors. Yet, we persevered. Why? To show our children that we support them."
Cordova said the contest serves as an example of how communities can come together.
"This is a true example of what can be accomplished through teamwork, community collaboration and general love for those we serve," he said in the statement.
Brigham City police placed second with 35 stands, and Willard police took third place with six stands. Perry police reached four, Box Elder County Sheriff's Office sent officers to three stands and Mantua police visited two.
The county totaled 104 visits to kids' stands. Beck said she was surprised by how many they were able to reach, given the last-minute nature of the contest.
"Our final numbers are higher than we could have imagined when we initially challenged our fellow officers," Brigham City Police said in a Facebook post Tuesday. "We are so grateful for our communities and their willingness to participate in this challenge!"
