New Bedford Police Department teams up with the New England Patriots for “Lights On!” campaign

The New Bedford Police Department has teamed up with the New England Patriots to help make Massachusetts roads a bit safer.

The campaign called “Lights On!” is designed to help take the tension out of traffic stops that would have been citations for taillight and headlight violations. Instead of writing a commuter a fine, the police will hand out a voucher up to $250 to get them fixed at a city repair shop.

New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira said, “The last few years, unfortunately, you’ll only hear about the negative interactions and we know there’s been positive ones over the last few years. It’s really been a game changer for the men and women in the department. So now to be able to go out and have positive interactions with the public, interactions that were not always positive.”