Colorado Springs police change traffic stop procedures amid COVID-19 outbreak

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- While we'd like to think that everyone in Colorado Springs will be driving safely and not give police a reason to pull them over, we know that's not going to be the case. But if you do get pulled over, you should be aware of some new procedures put in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Colorado Springs Police Department said that as of Monday, drivers who are pulled over by an officer may be requested to not physically handle their ID and registration.

Instead, officers will take a picture of you holding your ID and registration and then take that back to their police unit to verify information. The department says all photos will be "immediately deleted after the traffic stop."

Another change is coming to how an officer issues a summons during a traffic stop. Instead of having the driver sign the issued summons, the officer will write "COVID-19" on the summons. CSPD says it doesn't mean the officer or the driver has the coronavirus, but that it indicates the traffic stop happened during this outbreak period. Police say they're not asking for signatures so they can limit contact and practice safe social distancing.