ST. LOUIS — It's a real-life, practical lesson happening for students at Normandy High School: How to best interact with police? MoDOT has teamed with local business Doc Dash to reach students across the state. Organizers say it's about building trust with law enforcement and saving lives.
Before you get your driver's license, you're taught the rules of the road.
"A lot of seniors in my class just got their licenses and stuff like that,” said 12th grader Amya Williams.
Now students at Normandy High School are being taught an additional lesson, how to interact with police during a traffic stop.
"When it’s dark, we’re going to turn on the dome light. And why do we do that? Kimberly St. Clair asked students. "Because we have absolutely nothing to hide."
The local mother created Doc Dash after a startling moment in the park with her own children.
"My youngest came to me and said ‘You know why we didn’t want to play?’ I said ‘No please tell me.’ She said, “Because we saw the police and we thought we were going to be shot and killed’ … How many children are running around with that basic fear?” St. Clair asked.
She wants teen drivers to know police are there to protect them despite the tragedies that have made headlines.
"Mike Brown actually went to school here … You have a lot of unresolved trauma of students who are living that out vicariously through what they've been told,” she added.
Students are encouraged to keep all of their important information, including a driver’s license, insurance information, and relevant health information, inside of a bright orange document holder that folds. It’s meant to be kept in the car’s side door. When pulled over by police, people can take the folder out and it quickly attaches to your door or driver’s window for police to quickly see.
“If you have a hoodie on, it will be in your best interest to pull it off,” St. Clair said to the students.
"This helps minimize risks and stuff like that … What we can do to prevent stuff like that from happening,” Williams said.
“If it's something that can save the lives of students who come through here, man that's what I want,” teacher Douglas Carr added.
Every graduating senior at Normandy will receive those Doc Dash materials for free. You can learn more about the program here.