RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — It might not be all bad news if you get pulled over by a Raleigh police officer in the next few days.
The Raleigh Police Department and Advance Auto Parts are teaming up to make the roads safer. The goal is to issue fewer tickets and offer more assistance.
Advance Auto Parts reached out to Raleigh police to help people who might need to replace bulbs or a broken light.
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson was at a Wednesday morning event announcing the program. She mentioned reimagining policing and how an initiative such as this can really benefit the community.
Patterson said they will be handing out $25 Advance Auto Parts gift cards totaling $5,000.
“If we know that there’s a need, if we’re dealing with somebody that’s on a limited income and they say to us, ‘My headlight is out, my tail light is out and I need some assistance,’ we’re going to pull out these gift cards and say, ‘Advance Auto Parts is going to help you make this right,'” she said.
This is the first initiative of its kind in North Carolina, officials said.
Officers will not be pulling people over just to give out gift cards, but if a person is pulled over for something minor and officers notice the person could use the help, they could end up driving away with a gift card — and maybe not a ticket.
