WFAA-TV

ARLINGTON - Local leaders in Arlington are looking for a few good tattletales.

City officials hope to clean up the air and streets by utilizing drivers willing to turn over the plate numbers of other motorists not following the law.

When a driver gets stuck behind one of those cars that belches out smoke, officials said all they need to do is give them a call, and they will take it from there.

To combat the problem, the North Central Texas Council of Governments is combining two things people love to do, talk on their phones and tell on other people.

Drivers can call a tip line by either hitting # SMOKE on their cell phones or dialing 817-704-2522 and report the license plate numbers of offending cars, and soon the owners get letters from the city. The drivers are also entered into a database and encouraged to take the cars to a mechanic's shop.

"I think it's a good idea because it may alert people to get their cars repaired, which will help the air we breathe," said Barry Hart, Wayne's Car Care.

The program's voluntary, but each reported car is entered into a state database, accessible by law enforcement agencies. So, if an officer later finds himself deciding whether to give that driver a "smoking vehicle ticket" or another chance, he'll know how many chances that driver's already ignored in the past.

E-mail chawes@wfaa.com