Every time a bell rings, a driver gets their license
Prosecutor James Coleman rings a bell after someone successfully gets their drivers license back in traffic court Oct. 24, 2025. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Jay Coleman sits upright in his leather office chair.
A woman with blonde hair and wearing a sweatshirt approaches his desk. They talk briefly, and he reaches out and rings a silver bell. Several others in the room whoop and clap. The woman looks around, confused.
“It was just expired,” she says.
Coleman, a local prosecutor, rings the bell whenever someone obtains their driver’s license and has their citation dismissed.
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Aarron Fleming
Aarron Fleming covers public safety for The Daily Memphian, focusing on crime and the local court system. He earned his bachelor’s in journalism and strategic media from the University of Memphis.
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