Recession Lessons Road Trip Part II: Fredonia, AZ
Recession Lesson #2: Small towns get creative to cut costs and jobs.
As I searched back roads in the South West looking for signs of the unemploymentality I found it quickly. In one small town along the Arizona/Utah border I drove right into what i thought was a speed trap. After my heart skipped a beat and hit the breaks I coasted past a police car thinking he would at least wag a finger at me, if not pull me over for being 15 miles over the speed limit. To my surprise he didn’t move. At all. Like, not a muscle.
“Wait a minute…was that a real person?” I had to go back for another pass. Sure enough he didn’t move again. Why? The town of Fredonia’s police force is manned by Mannequins:
Perhaps if state budget woes continue to escalate like they have in California we’ll be seeing more Mannequin cops like they have in Fredonia. And if we’re really lucky maybe we’ll even start seeing mannequin garbage men, mannequin social workers, mannequin park rangers, even mannequin teachers. It will be a brave and frugal new world!
In the meantime. Note to self – loot Fredonia.
This is hilarious. Still, I don’t know if the fact that mannequins are patrolling the roads should terrify me at the same time…
Wow. I’ve seen police cars strategically placed near freeways in San Antonio and Austin, but they were just there to get people to do exactly what you did-slow down. They were always empty. I’ve never seen anything like this. I’d think the police would be out there trying to churn up revenue for the city, but I guess traffic tickets don’t generate enough to cover their salaries. It’s sad, really.
Maybe I should get a job as a mannequin…
Or better yet, maybe we can get jobs MANUFACTURING mannequins! eh, eh?
eh, it’s probably outsourced abroad anyways…
maybe get a job as LALA policemen, they provide $49ooo lunches and OT from the taxpayer for the pop “star” tribute. and it only cost LALA $1,400,000 instead of $4,000,000 in the midst of an economic crisis/severe recession. Now that’s spending the american tax dollars wisely. next time you are waiting in pergatory for your puny $400 weekly check, ask about those $49000 in lunches for the coppers of 1.4 mill for the party downtown. Why don;t they buy their own lunches?? The pop “star” has more money than g-d, let them pay for this party/tribute. Another disgrace to the comman person.
actually if you think about it; it is a very smart thing to do. It obviously worked on the author! There is an actual police force in Fredonia. I don’t live there but I have family that lives in and around there. They ahve been doing the Mannequin thing for a very long time! Locals know, but out of towners wouldn’t. It’s a great way to keep speeds down going through the town. Of course, if you blink, you’ll miss it entirely!
I have been to fredonia, man they do have regular cops but the main law enforcement force is Fredonias people it self. all of the have guns.
now now all of you know that its there to make you slow down…. i have worked in that area as a police officer and fredonia has 4 full time officers that patrol the town and assist other agencys in the area. so before you dog them out just know that one of these days you will be driving through there and when you do you better pray that your not speeding because they will get you……..
Fredonia is not the only, nor the first, small town to use this approach. It has been used both in Loa and Glendale, Utah for years. I have slowed down many times for these DUMBIES.
There are other towns that started using this approach throughout Utah and AZ, but I am from Fredonia and it was by far the first. Infact, the town of Fredonia made a “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” episode about it a few years back.
The nice thing about the real cops in that town is that they are always willing to help you out if your in trouble. They are just a little short handed to watch for speeders at the cross walk 24/7.