Getting stopped and ticketed for a burned-out headlight, taillight, or turn signal can ruin your day, especially if the cost of the ticket and the replacement or repair is a significant financial burden.

In addition to the cost, the amount of time that the vehicle is in the shop can cause problems for individuals with family or work commitments. Additional citations for not replacing the bulb can increase the financial burden.

But a new program called Lights On! is turning those negative encounters into positive ones, for motorists and traffic cops alike.

Repair Vouchers Instead of Tickets

A nonprofit program which partners with law enforcement and auto service providers, Lights On! replaces tickets for blown lights with vouchers to cover replacements or repairs up to $250, which the motorist can take to any participating auto center or body shop recommended by local law enforcement for the quality of their work and fair pricing.

The motorist’s financial burden is greatly reduced or eliminated entirely, and local roads are made safer by the repair of vehicle lights. As for the officer who pulled the driver over, he or she is given the opportunity to make somebody’s day and build that individual’s trust in law enforcement.

Said Sherman Patterson, Jr. Vice President of Lights On!, “Ticketing for minor but costly infractions is not a pleasant duty for officers, yet they want to keep the roads safe by requiring headlights, brake lights and turn signals to be in working order. Lights On! turns the potential confrontation in a traffic stop into an opportunity to connect one-on-one in a productive, restorative experience. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

How Lights On! Works

Lights On! is supported by MicroGrants, a Minneapolis non-profit started by Joe Selvaggio in 2006 to help low-income individuals in Minnesota and Florida rise from poverty through small business development or the acquisition and retainment of stable employment. Through partnerships with 49 foundations and government agencies, MicroGrants now provides funding for individuals who have needs in any of three areas: education, business development, and transportation.

In 2016, after the fatal police shooting of Philando Castile during a traffic stop by a Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area police officer who was subsequently charged with second degree manslaughter, the MicroGrants Board of Directors brainstormed ways they could prevent such a terrible event from happening again.

MicroGrants already had connections to auto repair shops through funding grants that help people repair or purchase a vehicle to get to work, and the board was well aware of the financial and logistical burdens that low-income individuals contend with. This led them to the idea of enabling officers to give vouchers to fix broken lights instead of issuing tickets.

To this end, MicroGrants CEO, Don Samuels, who is a former Public Safety Chair of the Minneapolis City Council, called Minnesota police departments to ask whether they were interested in the program. With their enthusiastic support, MicroGrants launched Lights On! in 2017.

Since then, the Lights On! program has grown dramatically, with 126 sheriff’s offices and State Patrol departments in Minnesota participating as well as 40 agencies in 22 other states. The number of participating auto shops is now 437.

How Law Enforcement Participates

In Minnesota, financial support for the Lights On! program in that state is raised from individuals and foundations. In other states, participating law enforcement agencies secure funds for the program in their communities.

To begin the program in their community, a law enforcement agency must identify reputable auto service centers and body shops which provide good service at fair prices, giving preference to small and minority-owned businesses as well as those owned by women and veterans. If the shops want to participate, the owners sign an agreement with Lights On!

Once the police department or sheriff’s office has started the program, they must track the vouchers they give out. Officers can keep a count on their car laptop or Mobile Data Terminal and share that data with Lights On!. To account for how many vouchers were redeemed, partners are asked to submit repair invoices with a Lights On! voucher.

Motorists, Cops, and Community Love Lights On!

To get an idea of how the public feels about the program, Lights On! asks voucher recipients to take a survey, answering questions about the program, their traffic stop, the officer and the auto shop. They can return it to Lights On! online or by handing it in at the auto body shop. According to Patterson, the overall satisfaction rate reported on these forms has been 99 percent positive since the program was launched.

“Cops tell me that everybody loves this program—people in the communities, the cops themselves,” he added. “State patrol guys say it’s one of the best things that has ever happened to their department because get to interact with people on the road in a different way. They’re seen as the good guys and helpers they really are.” Said Shakopee Police Department Chief Jeff Tate, “Lights On! gives us an opportunity to provide hope to many in our community who are struggling. It’s changing people’s view of law enforcement at time when trust in police is at a low point. It can help us start the important conversations. I am a big supporter.”

For more information about Lights On! and how to join it, visit the Lights On! website.

Images Courtesy of Lights On!.

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