Evansville PD to Issue Vouchers Instead of Citations for Broken Taillights

The Evansville Police Department recently announced that they will begin to issue vouchers instead of citations for broken taillights, as part of their new 'Lights On' initiative.

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According to a post from the Evansville PD, the 'Lights On' program is a community grant program that "enables officers to give out serialized vouchers in lieu of a warning or citations to drivers that have been stopped for having a taillight or headlight out.'

The post states that "anyone is eligible to receive a voucher, however officers will prioritize elderly and low-income drivers first."

Chief Thompson of the Evansville PD said that this was being done as a way of evoking 'Community Policing.'

"Community policing is a topic that is becoming more prevalent across the nation," he said. "This program is a new approach to societal problems. It offers a positive path for low-income drivers to have safer cars on the road as vehicles with proper working lights help reduce crashes on the road."

According to the post from the Evansville PD, if a driver is pulled over for a broken taillight or headlight, the driver is given a voucher that expires in 14 days. The driver is able to take that voucher to any participating auto service provider who will fix it for up to $250 value, at no cost to the driver. Microgrant, the company behind the 'Lights On' program, will then reimburse the cost to the shop.

The post states that funds for the program are because of a community-match system. Microgrant will match any donation given to them, as it's designed to be a community funded program.

The Evansville Police Department has already contributed $2,000. Other local companies, such as the Hat Six Travel Plaza, Sony's RV, Sinclair Refinery, Fremont Motors, and Hall Trucking have also donated funds.

"Anyone can contribute to the program and any amount is welcomed because we believe this program will make a difference in our community and Natrona County," Chief Thompson said.

Thompson also wrote that drivers only have 14 days to utilize the voucher because "there needs to be some accountability to the driver."

The Evansville PD is the first agency in Wyoming to utilize this program and it's entirely possible that other Natrona County agencies will follow suit.

To learn more about the program, visit the 'Lights On' website.