Accident Reconstruction Training                         OKLAHOMA

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
   It is often difficult for law enforcement officers to keep
   abreast of new developments in the field of advanced crash
   investigation and reconstruction.  However, staying informed
   in these areas can significantly enhance an officer's ability
   to determine causes of traffic crashes, and thereby identify
   and address specific traffic concerns.

   Oklahoma's Accident Reconstruction Training project focused on
   the need for continued education for state and municipal law
   enforcement officers.
                                                                  
                                         GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   The overall goal of this project was to assist law enforcement
   officers in accurately determining the causes of traffic
   crashes.  The objectives included the following:

    Establish a larger pool of qualified crash
     reconstructionists in geographical areas of the state who
     would then be able to train other officers in basic elements
     of crash reconstruction

    Ensure the accessibility of these qualified troopers and
     officers to other law enforcement agencies and their
     availability to assist county district attorneys with cases
     filed as a result of automobile crashes

    Assist officers in getting their crash investigation
     findings admitted into evidence in court
   
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
   The Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM)
   conducted a one-week course in Advanced Accident Investigation
   to 30 troopers and police officers.  The course was directed
   toward the experienced police officer, supervisor or traffic
   homicide investigator with previous crash investigation training.

   Upon completion of this course, students advanced to the next
   level of traffic crash investigation and were capable of
   furnishing expert testimony as a crash reconstructionist. 
   Students were also certified to conduct basic training courses
   to municipal officers as directed by the Council on Law
   Enforcement Education Training (CLEET).

   The Advanced Accident Investigation curriculum included:

    Derivation and origin of the commonly used speed formulas

    Speed of vehicle at impact using conservation of linear
     momentum

    Behavior of vehicles in a collision using Newton's three
     laws of motion

    Effect of weight shift in braking involving large trucks
     and buses, including truck tractor semi-trailer
     combinations

    Effect of computer or anti-braking systems on stopping
     distance and braking action

    Determination of direction of travel, initial contact and
     position of vehicles on the roadway  
     
RESULTS
   The one-week course was successfully presented to 30 troopers and
   officers in August 1994.  Those officers are now certified to
   conduct basic training courses to other officers.  The continuation
   of these courses will increase the ability of state and municipal
   officers to accurately assess the causes of vehicle crashes.  The
   project is expected to result in a reduced number of traffic
   crashes in Oklahoma.
   

Franklin County DUI Task Force                               OHIO

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
   Impaired driving continues to be serious problem throughout
   the country.  Law enforcement agencies are constantly trying
   to find new and effective ways to combat the problem.  In
   Franklin County, Ohio, area law enforcement agencies banded
   together to form the Franklin County DUI Task Force.  The Task
   Force addressed the impaired driving problem through
   implementation of an increased number of targeted efforts in
   enforcement and public education.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   The primary objectives of the project include the following:

    Establishment of sobriety checkpoints

    Overtime DUI enforcement

    Implementation of public awareness campaigns

   Through these objectives, the Task Force hopes to reduce the
   incidence of impaired driving in Franklin County.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
   The Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), Office of the
   Governor's Highway Safety Representative (OGHSR) utilized
   National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Section
   410 grant funds to allow area law enforcement agencies to
   develop and carry out comprehensive impaired driving
   prevention programs within their jurisdictions.  The Task
   Force produced and distributed posters, placemats and other
   DUI-related brochures.  A 30-second public service
   announcement on impaired driving was produced and distributed
   to area television stations.  Task Force members also have
   donated time 
   to help set up and operate "mock" sobriety checkpoints for
   such events as the Ohio Lifesaver Conference, and to kickoff 
   both the 1993 and 1994 National Sobriety Checkpoint Weeks in Ohio.

   In addition, Task Force members continue their involvement in
   the following activities:

       Ohio Department of Public Safety educational programs
   such as 1-800-GRAB-DUI, a     resource that allows citizens to
   notify law enforcement agencies when they see a   driver who
   may be driving under the influence

    The habitual offender program, a method of tracking and
     recording DUI arrests of offenders with five or more DUI
     convictions

    Operation Buckle Down, the national effort to increase
     safety belt compliance 
   
RESULTS
   The cooperative effort among law enforcement agencies and the
   municipal court has made the Franklin County DUI Task Force a
   tremendous success.  From July to September 1993, 14
   enforcement agencies conducted nine sobriety checkpoints, and
   performed nearly 130 hours of overtime DUI enforcement.  One
   hundred thirty impaired drivers were removed from the roadway
   and over 800 traffic citations were issued.

   To date, over 700 residents of Franklin County have been
   identified as habitual offenders.  In the first 6 months of
   Ohio's new DUI law, Municipal Court judges ordered 256
   vehicles immobilized, resulting in a total of 26,730 days of
   immobilization. 

   Participation in the 1994 Franklin County DUI Task Force 
   increased to 28 enforcement agencies.  Task Force members 
   conducted 14 sobriety checkpoints between May and September
   1994 and performed more than 4,000 hours of overtime enforcement.  
   The Franklin County DUI Task Force will continue to apply its 
   unified county level approach to impaired driving concerns 
   during 1995.

Helena Police Department In-Car 
Computer Pilot Program                                    MONTANA

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
   Time spent preparing traffic tickets, accident reports and
   other paperwork drastically reduces the proactive patrol time
   of police officers.   Increased costs from reproducing issued
   documents, scheduling and recording of appearances, and case
   dispositions also hinder the effectiveness of the justice
   system.  Since police officers originate many of these
   documents, and prosecuting and judicial personnel reproduce
   them to complete their work, automating these affidavits would
   increase the amount of time police officers can devote to
   patrolling duties and reduce redundant processing and data
   entry tasks.  

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   The goal of the Helena Police Department In-Car Computer Pilot
   program is to demonstrate that in-car automation can increase
   patrol time, reduce the time required to prepare required
   affidavits and eliminate redundant data entry and subsequent
   processing delays.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
   Funds were used to purchase in-car notebook computers and
   small thermal printers that are mounted in Selective Traffic
   Control Vehicles.  These computers and printers can produce
   traffic tickets that meet the legal requirements for a
   citation.  The Helena Police Department implemented an
   automated dispatch and record system using Advanced Revelation
   software which will become the standard software for all
   courts of limited jurisdiction in Montana.

   A new software program was written to allow data entry on-
   screen by the officer.  The "keyboard now, pen later" system
   enables the officer to enter data into a traffic citation file
   that has defaulted fields for law violations, vehicle types,
   color of hair and eyes, etc.  When an officer issues a
   citation, the computer stores the data for up-loading to
   police and court databases.  The citation is printed in
   duplicate and signed by the officer.  The  

Helena Police Department In-Car 
Computer Pilot Program (cont'd)

   violator receives one copy and at the end of a shift the
   officer gives the duplicate to the shift supervisor.  The
   computer data is then uploaded to police department and court
   database files.

RESULTS
   The following milestones have been achieved:

    Ruggedized computers and printers were purchased and
     installed in vehicles

    Database software was purchased, reprogrammed and installed
     

    Officers were trained in the use of the system, including
     word processing capabilities for incident and shift
     reporting

    Officers are currently issuing automated citations and
     forwarding violation and conviction data to courts, who in
     turn forward this information to state law enforcement
     agencies   

   Initial success in using the automated citation system was
   impressive.  Officers were able to issue citations more
   rapidly, thereby increasing overall traffic safety efficiency.

   Future plans include increasing automated, in-car police
   traffic services, new technology, such as global positioning
   systems and radio data exchanges can assist in eliminating
   redundant or inefficient work and increasing available patrol
   time.

   

     
Laser Speed Detection Pilot Program                     WISCONSIN

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
   Milwaukee has identified 17 roadways with a pattern of speed
   related crashes.  Most of these roadways are multiple lanes
   with high traffic density.  Law enforcement officers often
   cannot accurately utilize conventional radar for speed
   compliance on the densely traveled multi-lane roadways because
   positive vehicle identification cannot be ascertained.

   Speed was reported as a possible contributing circumstance in
   13 percent of Milwaukee's crashes from 1987 to 1990, as
   compared to the Wisconsin state average of nine percent.
                                                                  
                                         GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   The goal of the Laser Speed Detection Pilot Program was to
   reduce the number of speed related crashes in the city of
   Milwaukee by targeting the densely traveled multi-lane
   highways.  The Milwaukee Police Department sought to
   demonstrate that laser speed detection devices would be more
   effective at identifying speeding vehicles.  In addition to
   its enhanced ability to monitor speed compliance, the laser
   technology renders typical radar detectors ineffective through
   its use of light beams rather than radio waves.  Additionally,
   the program sought to increase public and driver awareness of
   the new laser technology through media campaigns.  

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
   All of Milwaukee's 50 motorcycle traffic officers were trained
   and certified as laser operators.  In addition, nine sergeants
   and traffic investigators have also been certified.  The
   police officers conducted a side-by-side comparison of the
   effectiveness of laser as compared to conventional radar by
   operating each device simultaneously from an unmarked car (no
   citations were issued during this test).  Another test
   involved a study conducted between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., four
   days a week for six weeks, whereby officers deployed
   conventional radar one day and laser the next on each of the
   targeted multi-lane roadways.  During this test, officers
   issued citations to all speeding violators. 
   Information about the new laser technology was disseminated by
   the Milwaukee Public Information Office.  The media campaign
   included news releases, television advertisements and radio
   interviews.  Although only four units were procured in the
   pilot, care was taken not to disclose the actual number so
   that the public perceived that this was a much larger program.
   
RESULTS
   The side-by-side comparison conducted simultaneously from an
   unmarked car on the multiple lane targeted roadways revealed
   that the laser was able to detect 96 percent of the speeding
   vehicles in the test sector, while radar was able only to
   detect 34 percent of the vehicles.  One hundred and thirty-two
   laser citations were issued as compared to 58 radar citations
   when laser and radar were alternately deployed from 3 p.m. to
   6 p.m. on weekdays.  All of these cases have been adjudicated,
   with no cases resulting in not guilty verdicts or dismissal.

   In 1992, the year of the laser pilot program, Milwaukee
   realized a 25 percent reduction in speed-related crashes as
   compared to the prior year.  Of 21,233 crashes, 12 percent
   were speed-related, a reduction from 16 percent in 1991.

   In addition to speed compliance, the laser technology has been
   used in the following capacities:

    By the Milwaukee Metro Unit to measure vehicles for hidden
     compartments that may conceal illicit drugs

    By Maritime law enforcement units to detect speeding boaters

    By accident investigators to measure distances at the scenes
     of traffic and boating crashes   
   
   Due to the success of the pilot program, 22 additional laser units 
   were purchased for the department in 1993. 

Lee County Sheriff's Office/Keokuk Police Department 
Cooperative Alcohol Enforcement Effort                       IOWA

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
   Lee County, Iowa experienced a total of 22 traffic crash
   fatalities throughout 1990 and 1991.  Sixteen of those
   fatalities were determined to be alcohol-related.  During that
   same period, the county ranked fourth in Iowa in alcohol-
   related traffic crash fatalities, while ranking 15th in
   population size.  These factors convinced local law
   enforcement officials to develop a comprehensive alcohol
   enforcement and public education initiative.
                                                                  
                                         GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   The Lee County Sheriff's Office and Keokuk Police Department
   set a goal of reducing alcohol-related traffic fatalities.  To
   this end, these departments sought to conduct 160 DWI
   arrests/contacts, 500 occupant restraint contacts, and 900
   moving violation contacts.  Other objectives included the
   following: 

    Development of 24 public information education activities 

    Completion of 150 tavern checks and two multi-state/multi-
agency traffic safety checkpoints 

    Implementation of eight underage alcohol purchase prevention
activities
   
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
   Both the Sheriff's Office and the Police Department utilized
   selective DWI enforcement patrols at high-risk times and
   locations in addition to the coordinated, multi-agency
   checkpoints.  Nearly 1,500 hours of selective enforcement were
   conducted along with three checkpoints involving the Lee
   County Sheriff's Office, Keokuk Police Department, Iowa State
   Patrol, Missouri Highway Patrol and Clarke County (Missouri)
   Sheriff's Office.  

   Additional activities included:

    Periodic unannounced tavern checks

    Underage alcohol purchase prevention operations at taverns,
     convenience stores and  grocery stores     

    A strong public education component focusing on schools,
     county fairs and other public events

RESULTS
   The project proved very successful in reaching its targeted
   goals.  Enforcement activities yielded 154 DWI arrests and
   numerous other DWI contacts, over 750 occupant restraint
   actions, and more than 750 moving violation contacts.  In
   addition, 53 public education activities were conducted.
   Traffic fatalities fell from 11 the previous year to just four
   during the first year of the project with only one alcohol-
   related traffic crash fatality being reported.
   

Minnesota DWI and Traffic Safety Law
Teleconference                                          MINNESOTA

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
   The Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)
   Board periodically surveys police agencies across the state to
   determine the training needs of Minnesota law enforcement
   officers.  In its most recent survey, the most often cited
   traffic training needs were in the area of basic law and DWI
   updates.
                                                                  
                                         GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   In an effort to respond to these traffic training needs, the
   Minnesota DWI and Traffic Safety Law Teleconference program
   was initiated.  The goal of the project is to increase the
   awareness of law enforcement officers on issues related to
   impaired drivers.  The issues targeted for coverage in this
   project were:

    Understanding the importance of traffic safety issues such
     as impaired driving and occupant protection

    Gaining a more thorough knowledge of traffic laws,
     especially as they relate to impaired driving

    Learning about specific traffic law changes that occurred in
     the present year's legislative session, prior to the
     effective date of the legislative changes
   
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
   Through a contract with the Minnesota County Attorney's
   Association, a short publication titled the Minnesota Traffic
   Safety Handbook was produced and distributed to all full time
   law enforcement officers in the state of Minnesota
   (approximately 8,000 officers).  The Handbook provided the
   officers with detailed information on Minnesota's traffic
   laws.  Approximately three months after distribution of the
   Minnesota Traffic Safety Handbook and after the close of the
   1994 legislative session, a three hour DWI & Traffic Safety
   Law Teleconference was held.  This live satellite training
   elaborated on portions of the Handbook and highlighted traffic 
   safety-related legislative changes that were enacted in the 1994
   legislative session.

RESULTS
   Approximately 8,000 copies of the 35 page Minnesota Traffic
   Safety Handbook were distributed to Minnesota law enforcement
   officers in February 1994.  The document has been very well
   received and the Minnesota County Attorneys Association
   continues to receive requests for this publication from police
   departments and law enforcement educators around the state.

   The Minnesota DWI & Traffic Safety Teleconference took place
   on May 26, 1994 and was received by 45 sites throughout
   Minnesota.  Each of these sites had a local county or city
   attorney present to facilitate.  The Teleconference was a
   live, interactive satellite broadcast designed to expand on
   traffic safety issues covered in the Handbook.  Featured
   speakers included an assistant Minnesota Attorney General and
   several officers from the State Patrol with expertise in
   traffic safety and related issues. 

   Each of the 448 law enforcement officers attending the
   Teleconference received an updated version of the Minnesota
   Traffic Safety Handbook that contained the most recent
   legislative changes.                        
   

Operation R.I.D.E.                                     NEW JERSEY

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
   Although in 1990 nearly one-fourth of all drivers admitted for
   emergency medical services through the Cooper Trauma Center in
   Camden County, New Jersey had a blood alcohol level of .10 or
   higher, and another four percent had a level of between .05
   and .10, relatively few impaired drivers were prosecuted under
   the State's drinking and driving laws.  Further study revealed
   that a combination of insufficient knowledge among health
   professionals concerning rules of evidence and a lack of
   communication among police, emergency responders and hospital
   staff had allowed many offenders to escape prosecution.
   
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   The goal of Operation R.I.D.E. (Remove Intoxicated Driver
   Emergencies) is to increase the number of individuals
   prosecuted for driving while impaired or intoxicated by:

    Raising awareness among emergency responders of what
     constitutes alcohol impairment
   
    Establishing policies and procedures for obtaining blood
     analyses from the trauma center
   
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
   Representatives from law enforcement, emergency medical
   services, the judiciary and the Cooper Trauma Center formed a
   task force to facilitate communication and cooperation among
   their offices.  The task force issued the following
   recommendations:

    Establish awareness programs for emergency responders so
     they can better identify alcohol-impaired drivers

    Establish policies and procedures for law enforcement
     officers to follow in requesting blood analyses from the
     trauma center

    Establish procedures for the trauma center to follow in
     extracting and analyzing blood to ensure an unbroken chain
     of custody and to assist in prosecution

    Uniformly prosecute cases through a special prosecutor

    Heighten public awareness of impaired driving issues and of
     Operation R.I.D.E.

RESULTS
   Seven alcohol awareness training programs were conducted with
   a total attendance of more than 200 emergency medical
   personnel.  Six months after training, emergency staff
   requested blood draws from 23 of 34 drivers admitted to the
   Cooper Trauma Center; 21 drivers were subsequently charged
   with impaired driving, representing a 91.3 percent arrest
   rate.

Scannable Crash Report                                   MICHIGAN
                                                                 

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
   Every year Michigan's Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP)
   compiles information from reports on more than 375,000 traffic
   crashes occurring statewide.  However, as of 1991, it had been
   almost 20 years since the OHSP had revised its police accident
   report (PAR) form.  The existing PAR form was in significant
   need of updating, in order to capture important traffic crash
   data more efficiently, such as the Critical Automated Data
   Reporting Elements (CADRE) and SafetyNet data elements. 
   Because of the amount of time needed to interpret and code the
   antiquated PAR forms, Michigan's Traffic Records System
   central processing facility had a 9-month backlog of PAR forms
   to be entered into its database.  This backlog made it
   impossible for police agencies to utilize the PAR information
   in a timely fashion.  
    
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   The primary goal of the Scannable Crash Report project was to
   develop a new and improved traffic crash report form, so that
   it would be easier for police officers to use and for the
   state office to process.  The following objectives were
   necessary for the new form:

    To capture data reflecting current roadway configurations

    To include as many data elements as possible from CADRE and
   SafetyNet      

    Be easily processed into the state's central database, to
   maintain a 45-day turnaround  for data processing

    Be easier for law enforcement officers to use, and permit
   self-coding  

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
   The OHSP developed specific criteria for report content and
   design, as well as a training program and promotional
   materials to ensure widespread acceptance of the new form and
   uniformity in its usage.  Efforts were also made to
   incorporate new technologies that would allow OHSP to gather
   information in the most efficient and effective manner.  A
   Definitions Committee was established to identify the need for
   future revisions or training materials. 

   This design process resulted in the creation of the Michigan
   UD-10 PAR form.  This new form was implemented on January 1,
   1993. 

RESULTS
   Using the new UD-10 form, processing time for data entry into
   the statewide database was reduced from 9 months to 26 days. 
   This time savings was achieved because the UD-10 form encodes
   80% of the information in an optical scannable format, and
   therefore requires a minimum of direct key entry.  The new
   form also incorporates all SafetyNet data elements and the
   majority of CADRE data elements.

   Police officers have had two training sessions since the UD-10
   form was introduced, and a Traffic Crash Newsletter provides
   additional training information to officers in the field.

   
   
Tulare Traffic Safety Team                             CALIFORNIA

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
   The city of Tulare, California experienced a 101 percent
   increase in traffic crash injuries and a 79 percent increase
   in property damage from 1986 to 1990.  During 1990, Tulare
   motorists were involved in 1,104 property damage and 155
   injury or fatal traffic crashes, an average of 3.4 crashes per
   day.

   It was estimated that by 1992, the department would
   investigate 220 injurious or fatal crashes and over 1,600
   property damage cases a year, an average of five incidents per
   day.  It was further estimated that at least 17 percent of the
   injury-related crashes would involve intoxicated drivers.  To
   add to the problem, the city's safety belt usage rate was only
   32 percent.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
   The primary goal of the Tulare Traffic Safety Team program was
   to reduce fatal and injury-related traffic crashes by focusing
   enforcement and education efforts on those traffic violations
   that cause the crashes to occur.

   The objectives of the Traffic Safety Team included the
   following:

    Increase the number of total hazardous citations written

    Conduct safety belt and DUI checkpoints throughout the city

    Conduct traffic safety presentations

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
   Over a two year period, the Traffic Safety Team conducted:
   
    50 safety belt checkpoints impacting 22,000 drivers

    35 DUI checkpoints impacting 10,000 drivers

    199 educational presentations for a total of over 40,000
     persons.   

   The newspapers printed articles and local radio stations ran
   public service announcements on the importance of safety belt
   use.  Signs and roadway stencils were installed to remind
   drivers to buckle their seat belts, and over 70,000
   informational pamphlets were distributed in the community.

   Additionally, the Traffic Safety Team purchased 30 infant and
   toddler restraint seats and loaned them free of charge to over
   150 individuals.  Through the efforts of local community
   groups, 12 additional seats were donated to the program.  K-
   Mart department store initiated a poster project to advertise
   the program.  Police officers and their families, along with
   the families of K-Mart employees, posed for a photograph
   showing the children seated in the safety seats.  The
   photograph was featured on a promotional poster distributed
   throughout the city.

   An Association of Traffic Officers was formed between Tulare
   and Kings Counties.  The Association presently involves four
   law enforcement agencies who meet once a quarter for training
   and discussion of mutual traffic enforcement concerns.  

RESULTS
   The following statistics reveal that the Tulare Traffic Safety
   Team had an outstanding effect on the safety behavior of
   Tulare drivers:

    Safety belt compliance rates increased from 32 to 92 percent

    The traffic enforcement
     index increased from 7 to
     over 30 percent

    Alcohol involved injury-
     related and fatal traffic
     crashes decreased 75
     percent

    Injury-related and fatal
     traffic crashes decreased
     8 percent

    Property damage crashes
     decreased 12 percent