“LIGHTS ON!” Partnership Program To Help Motorists In Bemidji

LIGHTS ON! is the new partnership program from the Bemidji Police Department and Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office to help motorists get the necessary repairs for their vehicle lighting issues. The program will help make the roads safer, and improves law enforcement and community relations.

LIGHTS ON! will begin as a two-part program starting Monday, March 9^th. The first part of the program will focus on conducting surveys.

Deputies and police officers are inviting motorists that are stopped for an equipment violation to participate in a survey conducted through Wilder Research.

The survey program will get first hand feedback from the public to help improve the LIGHTS ON! Program, local policing initiatives, and the driver’s experience with law enforcement.

After a research process, the second part of the program is will focus on providing vouchers for repairs. Deputies and police officers will begin issuing vouchers instead of citations to the motorist to get the necessary lighting related repairs completed.

If someone is stopped for an equipment violation, Bemidji police officers or Beltrami County Sheriff’s deputies will ask the person to participate in a survey through Wilder Research and will provide a link to complete the 15-minute-long survey. It is not mandatory to complete the survey, however citizens will receive a $10 gift card to Target or Amazon for completed surveys.

At the beginning of April, if a person is stopped for an equipment violation, such as a burned-out headlamp or taillight, both deputies and police officers will issue the citizen a voucher up to $250 to get the necessary repairs completed locally at no charge to them. Repair shops participating are Tires Plus of Bemidji, Southside Towing and Recovery, and Stu’s Auto Electric.

For more information about LIGHTS ON!, visit www.lightsonus.org or contact the Bemidji Police Department or Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office at 218-333-9111.