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Instead of pulling you over, police officers in one Texas county will soon text you the citation. Seriously.
Bexar County will be the first county in the United States to test the Trusted Driver Program, a web-based program where drivers can get a ticket via text message instead of meeting with a cop face-to-face, according to WFAA.
The program is only limited to Windcrest Police and residents who live there, for now.
"If we minimize those interactions just for minor traffic violations, they have more time to dedicate to serious crime like DWI's that are on the road, reckless drivers, racing," Val Garcia, president and CEO of the Trusted Driver Program told WFAA.
The program was created by 12 members who come from a background in law enforcement.
"The patrol level, we have an individual who spent time in investigations, we have an individual who spent time on the tactics and those kinds of units that involve how officers handle certain situations. Most importantly, we have an individual who spent his career as a SAFFE officer on the east side of town," Garcia said.
You can opt in at mytrusteddriver.com by entering your information to create a profile. When you're registered, police won't pull you over if you commit a minor traffic violation — they'll just text you after verifying your license plate.
"Traffic violations are not one of those interactions that most citizens want to have with their police. This removes that from the equation. It also gives our officers an opportunity to interact with members of Trusted Driver where they don't issue a citation. 'You've got a tail light out, whenever you want to take care of that,'" Windcrest Police Captain Captain Jimmie Cole told WFAA.
The Trusted Driver Program is a free program and drivers can opt out at any time.