Lake Placid Police Sgt. Frank Strack hands out an envelope with $100 of “secret Santa” cash to Mark Bourdon during a traffic stop on Sentinel Road Wednesday, Dec. 1. This is the second year Lake Placid officers have participated in the program, with money donated anonymously from generous local contributors. (News photo — Lauren Yates)

LAKE PLACID — Lake Placid Police Sgt. Frank Strack was camped out at the intersection of Mill Pond Drive and Sentinel Road on Wednesday morning, Dec. 1, looking for passing drivers who were violating minor traffic laws: no seat belt, an expired registration tag, snow piled up over license plates, etc. After all, he couldn’t pull people over for no reason.

But he wasn’t looking to hand out traffic tickets; he had a few envelopes containing $100 each stuffed in the visor above his driver’s seat, and he was handing out the cash to village citizens who may need it.

Last year, a “secret Santa” approached the department’s Assistant Police Chief Chuck Dobson with $500 cash and asked if Lake Placid police officers could distribute the money around the village, either at a traffic stop or on foot patrol. The police handed out 20 envelopes of $25 last December to Lake Placid drivers.

This year, the cash in those envelopes increased with the number of donors. Strack said there were at least a few secret Santas this year, and police officers are handing out 30 envelopes with $100 cash throughout the month. On Wednesday, Strack handed out envelopes six through nine.

“That’s a good one,” Strack said as he flipped his blinker on and turned onto Sentinel Road.

Lake Placid Police Sgt. Frank Strack surprises Jeffrey Ciferri with an envelope of $100 in “secret Santa” cash on Wednesday, Dec. 1. (News photo — Lauren Yates)

He’d spotted an older truck without a front New York license plate, and the pursuit was on.

When Strack pulled the truck over, the driver inside was ready with paperwork and explanations. He didn’t normally drive the truck he was in that day, he said, but he had a valid 10-day inspection and registration despite the lack of plates. The driver was Mark Bourdon, and he said two kids had stolen his old Chevy Blazer and totaled it. The former vehicle was sitting in the State Police barracks in Malone.

“Officer, I wouldn’t lie to you,” Bourdon said.

And he hadn’t. Strack ran Bourdon’s information and found that the truck was registered, insured and inspected.

“Let’s see if we can make his day,” Strack said as he piled out of the police car and approached Bourdon.

Lake Placid Police Sgt. Frank Strack hands out an envelope with $100 of “secret Santa” cash to Alice Patterson at the Adirondack Corner Store & Deli on Wednesday, Dec. 1. (News photo — Lauren Yates)

Strack told Bourdon that all the paperwork checked out and that he’d send him on his way, but first, he handed him the envelope of cash.

“Are you kidding me?” Bourdon said, and buried his face in his hand. “We need this.”

Bourdon said he’d been through a nightmare. His sister Karen Bourdon was killed in 2011, his dog isn’t doing well and he has a $880 towing bill to pay on his Chevy. Mark’s wife Jill had pulled over behind him at the traffic stop, and Mark rushed out of his car to tell her the good news and scoop his dog out of the backseat.

“I love you guys,” he said to Strack.

Mark said he’d put the money toward his towing bill and treating his wife.

Strack drove to the Lake Placid Elementary School to look for his next secret Santa recipient, and it wasn’t long before he saw a Jeep ambling along Old Military Road. The driver had his flashers on, and one of his tires was flat.

As Strack drove up behind the Jeep and turned on his lights, the driver pulled into a residence and sped up a hilly driveway into a garage — he’d made it home just in time.

Jeffrey Ciferri was wearing ski gear, and he said he’d just slipped off the road near Wilmington and ended up in a ditch. When Strack asked if he’d called a tow truck, Ciferri said he’d gotten himself out of the ditch without help.

“No I didn’t call a tow truck,” he said. “I’m from the North Country.”

Ciferri hadn’t had much luck with his tires recently. On Halloween, he got a flat on the new curbs on Main Street, and the tire he was changing Wednesday was only a couple of months old. He was on his knees getting ready to put on a spare when Strack handed him the cash.

“Are you sure?” Ciferri asked.

Ciferri said he’d been out of work for eight weeks, too, and he just had wrist surgery in October.

Strack said later that he was glad to switch up the normal duties of his patrol to hand out the secret Santa cash. He said police often deal with people in their worst moments.

“When these (secret Santa) donors come forward and do this, (police) can try to turn a bad situation or a bad day into a more positive one,” he said.

The next recipient seemed shocked that the police could come bearing good news — or cash.

Brian Ordway was driving a truck with an expired registration sticker. After running Ordway’s information, Strack found that his registration was up to date; he just hadn’t received a new sticker from the DMV yet.

Strack told Ordway he’d give him some “paperwork” on behalf of a secret Santa, and he proceeded to hand off the envelope of cash.

“What is this for?” Ordway asked in disbelief.

When the news registered, Ordway thanked Strack and told him the money meant a lot to him.

Strack’s last secret Santa stop for the day was at the Adirondack Corner Store & Deli, on the corner of Newman Road and state Route 73, where Alice Patterson works as the general manager.

Alice’s husband, Randy, is currently waiting on a lung transplant. The village community has worked to raise money for Randy’s medical bills and fees, which include a $600 charter flight to New York City once his new lungs are ready — a trip they may have to make more than once, since lungs only last three hours outside of a donor’s body and they’re not guaranteed to work for Randy. Becky Boon, Randy’s former doctor, started a gofundme campaign for the cause, and there was a benefit dinner for Randy in November.

In the store, Strack told Alice about the secret Santa effort and told her he thought she’d be a good recipient.

“I appreciate this so much,” Alice said. “Every little bit helps.”

She said she’s waiting to find out how a recent benefit dinner went; the food ran out before the dinner ended.

“We’re just waiting on our trip to New York now,” she said.

As of press time, the Lake Placid Police Department had 21 envelopes to hand out to citizens who need the money — but officers don’t recommend drivers smash a taillight in the hope that they’ll get one.