The Traffic Division has primary responsibility for enforcement of state and city ordinances regulating traffic flow in Evanston.
Parking enforcement is a task assigned chiefly to civilian personnel.
The Division collects traffic accident statistics from the city's Traffic Engineering Department to be used in the development of the traffic safety program. Traffic officers receive intense training in Accident Reconstruction and Vehicle Dynamics through the Traffic Institute at Northwestern University. In the latter capacity, the Division is responsible for tagging, towing, inventory and disposing of vehicles abandoned on city streets, on private property, or illegally parked cars in a tow-away zone. The Traffic Division formulates and implements traffic plans for special events and weather emergencies. The Division conducts Roadside Safety Tests, and Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol enforcement.