Officer Craig Staples won the raffle prize - a ride-on toy police car - but he would prefer to go to someone who could play with it.
SPRINGFIELD - Springfield police officer Craig Staples already has a police car - a real one - so the last thing he really needed was a toy one.
Staples, a long-time police officer and a member of the Ordinance Enforcement Unit, was the winner in the East Forest Park raffle during Tuesday's National Night Out event.
His prize was a Fisher-Price toy ride-on Jeep customized to look like a police car, complete with flashing lights and working sirens.
"I was surprised as anyone I won," he said. "I couldn't in good conscience keep it. It's for a child."
With no young children or grandchildren of his own, Staples gave the car back to the East Forest Park Civic Association, which is now looking to give it out to a neighborhood child.
"I believe it was the right thing to do," he said.
Beth Hogan, president of the East Forest Park Civic Association, lauded Staples for his generosity and his service to the community.
Staples said he purchased 20 tickets for $1 each, not expecting to win anything. Although, he said, if he had won another prize, the season tickets to Mystic Marine Aquarium, he likely would have hung on to them.
Hogan said the car will now be raffled for free to East Forest Park residents on Saturday from 5-7 p.m. during a neighborhood barbecue planned at TS Mobile Accessories, 241 Allen St.
The tickets are available for East Forest Park resident only through the TS Mobile Accessories or through Nathan Bill's Restaurant , 110 Island Pond Road.
She said in order to win the car, people have to get a ticket, and then be present for the drawing on Saturday.
Tony Shukes, co-owner of TS Mobile Accessories, said the finished car is the result of about 30 hours of donated labor. It started out as a broken-down toy car that was missing a wheel and had no electronics.
They had 2 1/2 weeks to repaint it, apply decals and install the lights and siren. The flashing LED lightbar on the back was custom-made and took about 4 hours to make, he said.
In the end he was happy to do donate his time, he said.
"I want to do stuff for kids in the neighborhood," he said.
Staples said it was his pleasure to do something for the children of East Forest Park after what they did for him.
When he returned to his cruiser - his real cruiser - after the National Night Out picnic, he found it covered with hand-written notes from neighborhood children thanking him for being a police officer.
"I was overwhelmed and touched at the outpouring from the children," he said. "So many times our kids are much maligned but reading those thank-you notes restored my faith in humanity, and made me really believe when the kids grow up we don't have anything to worry about."