KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Parents can breathe easier when their children hit the road after the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association and Kalamazoo County automated a new traffic infraction system.
Sheriffs Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers —STOPPED— is a voluntary, free program for parents who would like to be notified when their child is involved in a traffic stop by a sheriff’s deputy.
Blaine Koops, executive director of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, said upgrades to the system will immediately send parents either a text message or email when their kid is pulled over. Previously, parents were notified by regular mail.
If a deputy makes a traffic stop with a young driver, the deputy will look for a STOPPED sticker in the rear windshield, puts the listed number into an internet-based program and hits send, sending the traffic infraction data to parents.
Notifications include the time and place of the stop, the driver’s name and number of passengers in the vehicle, the reason for the stop and whether or not any citations were issued.
“This could be a game changer in how we enforce traffic laws and interact with our community. This could have wide ranging positive impact on how we relate to our young drivers and their parents,” Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller said in a Tuesday news release.
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