In 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana, an unusual call was placed to the 911 emergency number — from a 9-year-old girl sitting in the back seat of her mother’s car. And what she reported left the operator… both surprised and amused.

In the call, the girl spoke clearly and seriously:

“My mom is driving too fast. I think she needs to be pulled over to learn that traffic laws are important.”

The mother was driving on an urban freeway, going about 10 to 15 miles per hour over the speed limit. The girl, who had just taken a road safety class at school, took to heart the danger of speeding — and decided to “take matters into her own hands.” Police later found the car based on the information the girl provided, and asked her mother to stop. The mother was surprised to learn that it was her daughter who called the police. The police did not ticket her, but spent a few minutes talking to both of them, praising her for her sense of responsibility — and advising her to talk to an adult before calling 911.

The police officer then gave the girl a “Junior Deputy” badge as a way to encourage her sense of justice, making her extremely proud.

The story quickly spread on American social networks with hundreds of thousands of shares, along with humorous comments such as:

“When you teach your child about traffic laws so well that you forget… you also break the law sometimes!”