When St. Paul’s police chief is off duty, he feels like everyone else does when they notice a police squad behind them.

“I start to question, ‘Was I speeding? Did one of my taillights just go out? Did I go through a red light and not notice it?” said Axel Henry.

With the aim of decreasing nervousness around traffic stops and helping to educate people about such stops, the St. Paul police department is holding its first Project Self Stop on Saturday. Drivers can go to a parking lot south of the Minnesota Fairgrounds to ask officers questions about traffic stops and get advice. They also can get coupons for free taillight replacement.

Saturday’s event is an opportunity for new drivers to go through a no-stress traffic stop, Henry said.

People who pull into the parking lot will be directed to talk to an officer. Instead of an officer’s typical line during a traffic stop — “Do you know why I’m stopping you today?” — a driver can tell an officer why they’re there, such as their taillight not working.

It’s a way for “our community to experience a traffic stop without any of the other fears or traumas or concerns that might go along with those,” Henry said. “We can make all of that better if we work together and we actually practice some things, and we can educate each other and fix some cars that need some repair right now.”

St. Paul police no longer pull over a driver if the only offense is one taillight out, but it still happens around the metro. People will be able to get a voucher Saturday for a free taillight fix. They’re provided by the nonprofit Lights On!

Police will also have free steering wheel locks for Kia and Hyundai vehicles because some models have been stolen at high rates in recent years.

Roseville, St. Paul, Maplewood and St. Anthony police said in 2020 they would move away from traffic stops for vehicle equipment violations, allowing officers to focus on criminal activity and moving violations that endanger public safety.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi — who has said he began viewing the world differently since Philando Castile was fatally shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights — announced in 2020 he would no longer prosecute most felonies found during traffic stops that happened for a non-public-safety equipment violation.

An analysis of the first year of data showed the changes led to a significant decrease in stops for equipment violations and dramatically decreased the racial disparity in subsequent vehicle searches, though Black drivers continued to be much more likely to be stopped for a moving violation and have their vehicle searched compared to drivers of other races and ethnicities, according to the Justice Innovation Lab.

Project Self Stop

What: Opportunity to talk to police officers about traffic stops and get coupons for free taillight replacement
When: Saturday, Dec. 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: 1680 Como Ave., St. Paul

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