By Kalin Krohe, Panhandle Post
The Alliance Police Department continues to partner with the community with the “Lights On” program.
Alliance is the first agency in the state of Nebraska to partner with this program.
How does this work?
The police distribute vouchers to stakeholders in the community including the schools and churches.
According to the APD, when citizens observe someone who has an equipment violation on their car they are provided a voucher. Officers are also equipped with vouchers for traffic stops, but traffic stops aren’t emphasized.
The preference is to provide the vouchers in community contacts when a violation is observed.
The goal is to partner with the community for safety without an increase in traffic stops or making stops disproportionate regarding race or class.
The voucher provides up to $250 in service at a local mechanic for light related repairs.
“We need equipment working on vehicles for safety," Alliance Police Chief Philip Lukens said. "We don’t want to be adversely impacting our community. With approximately 50% of our students in school living below the poverty level we simply cannot create additional hardships in families this holiday season, but we cannot compromise safety.”
This project is funded through micro grants.