• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
        Small town North Carolina police officer rescues man from house fire
        Boulder police recover $400,000 in stolen paintings, drug stash in...
        California police officer rescues three people from car teetering on...
        Stranded driver gets gas refill from helpful police officer
    • Labor
      • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
        San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
        Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
        Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
        Cops leave NYPD in highest number since 9/11
    • Tech
      • FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime...
        Wisconsin law enforcement warn of iPhone crash detection feature...
        Snapchat sued for facilitating sale of fentanyl that led to fatal...
        Security flaw in app exposes secret data from hundreds of police raids
        Minnesota law enforcement agencies turn to facial recognition...
    • Training
      • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
        Running your patrol rifle like a champion
        Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
        Defensive tactics
        Mechanics, consistency and aggression
    • Policy
      • Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
        President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
        California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
        Texas law enforcement leaders say the state has too many police...
        Justice Department launches new language initiative after resolving...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
        Coping with internal investigation or legal action
        The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
        What officers love, hope and worry about
        Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
    • Community
      • Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
        LAPD chief bans “Thin Blue Line” flag from department use
        Friday Night Lights duty
        Oklahoma law enforcement teach children self-defense tactics to build...
        Former Superman actor thanks police officers for their...
    • Offbeat
      • Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
        “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
        “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
        Wyoming police officer restores classic Chevy Bel Air as police...
        Santa Cruz police arrest 19-year-old for handing out fake parking...
    • We Remember
      • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
        Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
        Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
        Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
        At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • On the Job
    • California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
      Small town North Carolina police officer rescues man from house fire
      Boulder police recover $400,000 in stolen paintings, drug stash in...
      California police officer rescues three people from car teetering on...
      Stranded driver gets gas refill from helpful police officer
  • Labor
    • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
      San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
      Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
      Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
      Cops leave NYPD in highest number since 9/11
  • Tech
    • FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime...
      Wisconsin law enforcement warn of iPhone crash detection feature...
      Snapchat sued for facilitating sale of fentanyl that led to fatal...
      Security flaw in app exposes secret data from hundreds of police raids
      Minnesota law enforcement agencies turn to facial recognition...
  • Training
    • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
      Running your patrol rifle like a champion
      Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
      Defensive tactics
      Mechanics, consistency and aggression
  • Policy
    • Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
      President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
      California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
      Texas law enforcement leaders say the state has too many police...
      Justice Department launches new language initiative after resolving...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
      Coping with internal investigation or legal action
      The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
      What officers love, hope and worry about
      Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
  • Community
    • Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
      LAPD chief bans “Thin Blue Line” flag from department use
      Friday Night Lights duty
      Oklahoma law enforcement teach children self-defense tactics to build...
      Former Superman actor thanks police officers for their...
  • Offbeat
    • Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
      “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
      “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
      Wyoming police officer restores classic Chevy Bel Air as police...
      Santa Cruz police arrest 19-year-old for handing out fake parking...
  • We Remember
    • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
      Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
      Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
      Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
      At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Community

Minnesota police hand out free vouchers instead of tickets to repair broken car lights

APB Team Published July 6, 2021 @ 8:00 am PDT

iStock.com/Bespalyi

A nonprofit is working with Minnesota law enforcement agencies to fix broken car lights instead of handing out tickets.

MicroGrants, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, has launched a program called “Lights On!” to fix peoples’ car lights, but instead of punishing them by pulling them over and giving them a citation, officers are instead giving vouchers to repair the lights for free.

“There’s no other program like it and it is such a logical solution,” said Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council member and head of the nonprofit. 

“It’s totally upending the dynamics of a traffic stop,” he said.

Agencies from Duluth to Rochester are signing up for the program according to a report in The Star Tribune. Now, if an officer sees someone with broken headlights or taillights, they have the option to give that motorist a free voucher that can be redeemed at one of the 150 local auto shops. 

The program, which has received notable donations from the Minnesota Vikings and the Joyce Foundation, has now expanded to 100 agencies across Minnesota, covering 90% of communities in the state. The nonprofit has also garnered attention nationally, and has partnered outside the state with agencies in Kansas, Tennessee, Iowa and New York. For departments in Minnesota, the program is for free. For other states, the departments have to pay half.

“There’s an urgency in law enforcement for this program,” Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate said. Chief Tate has 50 officers in his department who have participated for the last few years. “An overwhelming amount of officers want to do the right thing. This is a tool to bridge the gap.”

Since its foundation, the program has helped fix more than 4,000 light bulbs, often helping low-income Minnesotans and communities of color who are more likely to get pulled over. In Minneapolis, nearly half of the voucher recipients are Black.

Samuels says the program is a simple way to ease relationships between the Black community and law enforcement.

“It’s pretty significant,” said Eden Prairie Sgt. Tom Lowery of the repair voucher, which the west metro Police Department started handing out earlier this year. “It just helps build relationships.”

In January last year, the Minneapolis Police Department even changed its ticketing policy to only handing out vouchers for broken lights, and only giving out tickets if the broken part led to a crash or injury.

“It’s changing the conversation and tone of a traffic stop,” Tate said. “This is a big deal for cops. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t want to write a ticket.” 

The nonprofit was inspired to create the program after Philando Castile was fatally shot in a 2016 traffic stop after being pulled over for a broken taillight. The officer, Jeronimo Yanez, said he shot Castile because he thought he was reaching for a gun. He was the first Minnesota police officer in modern history to be charged with the shooting death of a civilian, but was later acquitted.

Categories: Community Tags: Police, Law Enforcement, Lights On, broken taillight

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost recruiting and diversity
  • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for first responders
  • FBI seizes website of notorious ransomware gang in cybercrime crackdown
  • San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to avoid “cata-strophic” staffing shortage
  • California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
  • Wisconsin law enforcement warn of iPhone crash detection feature triggering false-alarm 9-1-1 calls
  • Small town North Carolina police officer rescues man from house fire
  • Snapchat sued for facilitating sale of fentanyl that led to fatal overdoses
  • Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
  • Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to reverse staffing shortages

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close
Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.