The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department station in West Hollywood will be the first to test out a new app that’s hoping to change traffic stops.
The app, called SafeStop Driver, allows people who are pulled over to request a video call with deputies before they approach the vehicle. It’s an attempt to make traffic stops safer for everyone.
“Traffic stops are one of the most common and scrutinized law enforcement interactions between law enforcement and your community,” SafeStop Driver cofounder Jackson Lallas said during a video interview. “And with SafeStop, we kind of turn them on their head by starting them with a video call much like the one we’re having right now.”
Here’s how it works: people who are pulled over in West Hollywood can go to the SafeStop Driver app and call the deputy. The deputy will then get pinged, and if they determine it is safe to take a video call, they will do it before they ever approach the vehicle.
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“It’s just kind of an initial contact, certainly to allay any concerns from the driver and for the deputy, for any concerns about who they’re encountering – you know, if the car has tinted windows, we have no idea how many people are in the vehicle,” said West Hollywood sheriff’s station Capt. Bill Moulder said.
For privacy reasons, only the person who is pulled over can start the video call. In other words, deputies can’t start the call with the person they pulled over.
Additionally, the deputy doesn’t have to take the call. If the circumstances are not safe, they will not do it.
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West Hollywood will pilot the app for the next six months. Lallas said that if it helps the community and is successful, they will try to roll it out all over the region and potentially nationwide.
