Florida officers in ‘awe’ after someone rigs traffic light to power makeshift charging station
Courtesy: Fort Walton Beach Police Department
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - A traffic light in the Florida Panhandle was doubling as a charging station after someone attached an electrical outlet to it.
The Fort Walton Police Department recently posted an image of the unusual sight with a caption reading, "Are you kidding me Thursday!?"
The post went on to state, "Someone out there decided the traffic light was not functioning to its full ability and wanted to help it reach a new level of usefulness."
The agency added that while it appreciates the ingenuity, damaging a traffic signal is a felony and encouraged the mastermind behind the electrical outlet to use their skills in a more useful manner.
According to the Miami Herald, the device was found by a Fort Walton Beach police officer who discovered that it was not intended to switch the light from red to green. Instead, after finding a plug attached to a charging device of some kind, investigators learned it was being used as a makeshift charging station for phones and other electrical devices.
Panhandlers are known to frequent the area where the device was found.
According to the Miami Herald, city public works employees have removed the outlet and all its associated wiring. The wiring access panel has also been sealed to prevent it from happening again.