MSHP’s “Bumper” gifted new trailer design

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s very own remote control talking patrol car “Bumper” got an upgrade to his ride thanks to several local sponsors. Bumper is a tool that the patrol uses to teach kids about safety.

John Lueckenhoff is the public information and education officer for Troop D, and he told us more about what Bumper’s purpose is. “He goes around and talks to kindergartners and preschoolers about safety topics like wearing your seat belt, stranger danger, what happens if you find a gun at a friend’s house, wearing your life jacket, just things that small kids need to hear.”

He adds that Bumper became a major asset for the patrol when he joined in the late 80’s/early 90’s because kid’s typically have shorter attention spans. “The kids really really like Bumper. It’s a really neat tool that I have the privilege to use when I go to these schools. We teach kids not to be afraid of police officers with the use of Bumper.”

The redesign of the vinyl wrap was done by a team at Cutting Loose on North Main in Joplin. Other sponsors that made the new design possible include Frontier Leasing, Joe’s Garage, Kyle Hickham with State Farm Insurance, MHC Kenworth and Stockton Solutions. “This was not a cheap endeavor…it’s very humbling to me,” said Lueckenhoff. “But it just shows the overwhelming support for law enforcement here in Southwest Missouri and well as the support for educating our children.”