St. Louis police have gone into the Teddy Bear distribution business, thanks to residents of the nearby Pine River Correctional Facility.

Inmates there have created dozens of stuffed animals that Frank Yell of the Michigan Department of Correction has distributed to Gratiot County police departments.

Police Chief Richard J. Ramereiz Jr. said each patrol car will soon be equipped with a bag of Teddy Bears to hand out to children whom police officers encounter on calls.

Police Chief Richard Ramereiz (at right) and Frank Yell of the Department of Corrections pose with a pile of prison-produced stuffed animals that will soon be in the hands of children police encounter in their work.