An upgraded teen traffic program is coming to Michigan next month. Officials said the new, automated system will notify parents immediately after their child is pulled over.
S.T.O.P.P.E.D stands for Sheriff's Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers. It is a voluntary notification system that alerts parents if their child is pulled over.
Some Michigan police officers have been using STOPPED for more than a decade, but officials said the old system was starting to falter.
Blaine Koops is the executive director of the Michigan Sheriff’s Association, the group that runs the program.
“It was a paper system. If a deputy made a stop he had to complete a report, take that report put it in the mail, mail it to us, and then we would get that report and then we have to send the report to the parents. This could take up to two to four weeks.”
Koops said the new system will alert parents immediately after their child is pulled over.
He said this program upgrade is to keep young drivers accountable to their parents. Koops said the data will also help police track how this program is preventing teenage car crashes.
The new system will be implemented in counties across Michigan throughout June.
If you are interested in signing up for STOPPED, click here.