Mississippi Agency to Give Vouchers, Not Citations for Minor Traffic Violations

The Oxford (MS) Police Department has launched what it calls the "We Care Program" in which officers who stop a vehicle for a broken tail- or head-light will have the option of issuing a voucher of up to $25 to cover the repair—instead of writing a citation for the violation.

According to Fox News , officers will check the driver’s license, registration, and insurance, and if all are all in good standing, they will fill out paperwork to allow the motorist to go to one of four participating repair shops and make the necessary repairs free of charge to the citizen.

The manager of the Southland Body Shop came up with the idea for the "We Care Program" and presented it to police.

"No one ever takes the time to walk around their car and see if all their lights are working. We just don’t do it. I don’t do it," Harwell said. "Why should you be penalized for something that you haven’t checked?"

Harwell said that he's just looking to help people.

"There's people out there, instead of paying a ticket, they need to buy groceries, or they need to pay their light bill."