GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Instead of police cruisers, Greensboro Police Chief John Thompson says yellow trucks will patrol the roads in Greensboro with Civilian Traffic Investigators behind the wheel.

“And their primary role will be to respond to traffic crashes throughout the city. There are some other roles we expect of them,” Thompson said.

That includes assisting people when their vehicles break down, removing debris from the road, and addressing signal issues.

Earlier this year, Gov. Roy Cooper signed a law allowing local police departments to hire Civilian Traffic Investigators after they complete a license training process.

This is something Mayor Nancy Vaughan has been waiting for.

“We knew we needed to get legislation through. Last year we didn’t get it through. This year we did get it through and now it has gone statewide,” Vaughan said.

Neighboring cities like the Burlington Police Department already have something like this in place.

“One thing we want our community to be aware of, is that though they may have a crash and that they may have a Civilian Investigators respond, it’s the same level of documentation as a sworn officer,” said Assistant Police Officer Nick Wright.

It gives sworn officers some much-needed help when they’re stretched thin and departments help when they are short staffed like the Greensboro Police Department.

“It’s not just about removing the workload from the officers. It’s about providing them opportunities to do other work. To do enforcement. To do community engagement and to get them involved in other areas.

You can find more information on the job online.