NATCHEZ &045; Hillaire Long, 18, is tired of seeing her peers become injured or die as a result of after-hours vehicle accidents &045; so she’s giving them a &uot;guardian angel.&uot;

&uot;It’s just the fact that these deaths and injuries are so senseless,&uot; Long said. There are few reasons, she said, for those under 18 to be out after the 10 p.m. curfew (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays).

Her idea was this: the Police Department could hand out stickers that parents could voluntarily place on their children’s vehicles.

If an officer saw a vehicle with the sticker out after curfew, he could stop the vehicle to make sure nothing was wrong.

&uot;An officer would know in just a few minutes whether something was wrong, like whether someone had been drinking,&uot; Long said.

Long took matters into her own hands, talking with parents and youth to gauge their reactions and presenting a proposal to aldermen at their Tuesday meeting.

By Wednesday, Long and Police Chief Mike Mullins were designing stickers that will be printed and dropped off at the Police Department as soon as possible for pickup by parents.

The stickers would be placed in the back windows or on the back bumpers of vehicles

&uot;It’s called the Guardian Angel program, because someone will be looking out for them,&uot; Long said.

&uot;This will alert officers to young people who are out past curfew time,&uot; Mullins said. That’s important, he added, &uot;because more accidents occur after curfew times.&uot;

Those include alcohol-related accidents. In the last year for which are available, those 16 to 20 years old accounted for 16 alcohol-related auto accident fatalities statewide. Figures for Natchez-Adams were not available.

The stickers would also alert police to youth committing other illegal acts after hours and would let parents know when their children are out late without their knowledge.

&uot;A lot of times, kids can be out riding around when they’re supposed to be at a friend’s house, and the parents don’t even know about it,&uot; Mullins said.

Under the Guardian Angel program, a teen out after hours could be given a curfew warning citation and his parents would be notified, Mullins said.

Just as importantly, the program can give teens a positive interaction with officers, showing them someone’s looking out for their welfare, Long said.

She said all the parents and youth she has talked to about the program &045; 50 people in all &045; have said they would participate.

She also tried to think of any possible objections to the program and address them in her presentation. For example: what good could a simple sticker possibly do?

&uot;My answer is, if it’s only a sticker, why not do it?&uot; Long said. &uot;If one child might not be drinking and driving (because of the program), it’s worth it.&uot;