NCJ Number
196711
Date Published
June 2001
Length
106 pages
Annotation
This report presents general traffic enforcement trends in 11 States across the United States and compares the roles of different categories of law enforcement agencies in those communities regarding traffic enforcement.
Abstract
This final report sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration summarizes the findings from a study of traffic law enforcement trends in 11 selected jurisdictions from across the United States. The study was an attempt to objectively quantify trends in traffic law enforcement in a variety of law enforcement agencies across the country. The general objective was to evaluate any changes in traffic law enforcement trends in these selected sites in the United States for the past 10 years. Sites were chosen based on being able to provide pertinent data. The 11 sites and law enforcement agencies studied during the project included: (1) California Highway Patrol, California; (2) San Diego Police Department, California; (3) Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado; (4) Delaware State Police; (5) Florida Highway Patrol; (6) Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Florida; (7) Palos Heights Police Department, Illinois; (8) Guilford County Sheriff’s Department, North Carolina; (9) Austin Police Department, Texas; (10) Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, Florida; and (11) Fairfax County Police Department, Virginia. Specific categories of data collected included: numbers of moving violations and/or citations; average number of citations per patrol officer by year; population of drivers per year; level and type of proactive enforcement efforts; police resources available for traffic enforcement; and average number of person hours for traffic enforcement. Data collected indicated an overall decline in the number of citations being issued for all types of traffic violations combined. In addition, demands on budgets and personnel have taken a toll on the amount of resources expended for traffic safety. The only category of law enforcement agency, within the context of this study, that exhibited increases in traffic law enforcement activity as measured by citation volume were sheriff’s departments. Many of the jurisdictions studied used grants to supplement local resources for traffic law enforcement. The following recommendations were presented: (1) garner command emphasis; (2) combat personnel shortages by hiring non-sworn staff members; (3) value and promote officers working in traffic law enforcement; (4) garner public support; (5) encourage routine data collection efforts and use of those data; (6) promote grant funding for traffic-related labor, programs, and equipment; and (7) promote accountability. It is important that the prevailing downward trend in traffic law enforcement be reversed. Figures and tables