Law officers ready to race teens to get them to slow down
By CLINT WOOD
Staff Writer
Teenagers who have the fastest car at Brainerd International Raceway on a given Wednesday night during the summer street drags will legally be able to race a cop this summer. This is part of the Midwest's only Fast Cop program recently formed by area law enforcement officers Larry White, his son Shaun and Mike Taylor. Larry White is a State Patrol trooper. Shaun White and Taylor are Mille Lacs Tribal Conservation Officers. This program also will allow young drivers to ask questions and gain information.
Larry White, who has been a member of the Minnesota State Patrol for 25 years, said he feels this program, one of 70 in the United States, is one of the few that allows these drivers and law enforcement officers to communicate at a personal level. He said the program's goal is to communicate to teenagers safe driving techniques, including wearing seat belts. The trio also plans to talk to teens about the importance of stopping aggressive driving and illegal street drag racing.
"There has to be something to slow this down," he said. "It's our way to give back to the community in a way we haven't been able to do in the past. We're compassionate people that believe we can actually do something (to decrease the fatalities)." Larry White said racing was chosen as a method to reach out to teens for a variety of reasons, including the popularity of motorsports. "We have to have something of interest to gather their attention," he said. "We needed a tool and that tool is a drag racing car."
The car these cops are using in this program is a 1993 Ford Mustang LX purchased from a Minneapolis Police impound lot. Larry White, Shaun White and Taylor also are involved in almost every facet of drag racing. Shaun will race this Mustang, which is being built with bodywork donated by Bill Bardow of Custom Cars, Pine River. This car will be at BIR's Show-N-Go and Muscle Car Shootout.
The raceway isn't the only place where this trio will talk to teenagers. They have talked to students in a Park Rapids Community Education Driver's Education class and plan on more classroom visits. Larry's son, Darin, a Cuyuna Regional Medical Center employee and certified emergency medical technician, also is part of the group.
The group also wears their own Fast Cop Inc. uniforms to these visits. The uniforms grab the attention of teens, Larry White said. "When we mention racing, their ears perk up. With the combination of the two, we are able to reach out and communicate with them." He said the group was well received by the 40 students in Park Rapids. The program also is non-profit and tax exempt. "How many places can you donate money and get it off your taxes?" said Larry White. "We don't make a penny out of this. It's the satisfaction of saving lives."
This Fast Cop program has received donations from Ted's Sign Co., John Gaffney, John Swimmers, Grand Casino Mille Lacs, BIR, Shipman Auto Parts, West Brainerd Amoco, Jamie Koop Insurance, Mille Lacs Academy, Deerwood Rice and Grain , Carney Middleton Ford, Kinney Realty, Park Rapids School District and the Deerwood American Legion Auxiliary.
For more information, contact Larry White at (218) 546-7160 or e-mail at fast_cop@hotmail.com.