Canton Police Teach Teens What To Expect During Traffic Stop

CANTON, GA —If you or someone you know is a new or a soon-to-be licensed driver, you may want to have them attend the Canton Police Department's Traffic Stop with a Cop initiative.

The agency's event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 21 at Canton City Hall. Canton police have created this class for teens that focuses on what to do during a traffic stop. The class will also teach very important information that every new driver should know.

• What to expect during a traffic stop
• Constitutional Rights during an officer interaction
• What to do in the event of an accident
• The laws of a Class “D” license
• The impact of a citation on a driver’s license and insurance
• Texting and driving consequences

Lawmakers in some states require driver education classes to teach appropriate interactions with law enforcement officers. Illinois, North Carolina, and Virginia passed a similar law recently. Mississippi, New Jersey, Texas and Rhode Island also are considering them.

While the state of Georgia does not require the education, the Canton Police Department believes this class will benefit young drivers by giving them the knowledge of what to expect during the traffic stop (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here).

Students of the class will get to experience a mock traffic stop as a driver and then see the encounter from an officer’s point of view. Canton police hope the class will allow drivers to be less nervous during a stop and give them confidence by having gone through a role-play traffic encounter scenario.

“We are extremely excited to offer this educational and insightful program for new teen drivers. Our goal, and the purpose of this initiative is to relay to young motorists what to expect during a traffic stop, their rights during the interaction and the officer’s point of view," said Canton Police Chief Mark Mitchell. "We hope this education, along with good communication, are key components to keeping everyone safe during a traffic stop encounter. Not only do we want those in attendance to know what to expect but we also want anyone who leaves from a traffic stop with one of our officers to be treated fairly, respectfully and given a voice in the process regardless of whether they received a citation or not. Our organization strives to practice these principles of procedural justice in today’s world of 21st century policing."

Traffic Stop with a Cop is recommended for those that are 14 to 19 years old. The class will be limited to 30 students. To apply, fill out the online registration form online. Check-in and handouts will begin at 10:30 a.m. while a powerpoint presentation will run from 11 a.m. to noon. A complimentary lunch will be provided from noon to 12:30 p.m., and mock traffic stops and demonstrations will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Canton City Hall is located at 151 Elizabeth Street.

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