MEMORANDUM

May, 2005

To:       Debbie Van Saun, Asst. City Manager

W. Ronald Olin, Chief of Police

From:  Sergeant Randy Roberts

Ref:     Second year Traffic Unit activity

            The second year of the Traffic Unit, (October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004), has been completed.  During the second year, the Traffic Unit worked one (1) fatality accident, and reconstructed nine (9) serious accidents.  The Traffic Unit issued a total of 9,055 traffic citations.  The citations included 5,335 speeding, 2,492 hazardous moving violations (red light, stop sign, etc.), 1,192 seat belt, and 36 child seat/restraint violations.  In addition the Traffic Unit made 230 D.U.I. arrests.  The Traffic Unit conducted three (3) sobriety checkpoints.  During the checkpoints officers contacted 539 drivers and made 2 D.U.I. arrests.  The Traffic Unit also conducted seven (7) saturation patrols.  During the saturation patrols officers contacted 316 drivers, and issued 301 traffic citations and made 11 D.U.I. arrests.

The third year of the Traffic Unit began October 1, 2004.  Since that time, the Traffic Unit has acquired three additional Federal Grants.  One for traffic enforcement along the Highway 59 corridor (Iowa, 6^th, and North 2^nd Street), the second for the enforcement of underage drinking, and the third for a Mobile Breath Alcohol Test van (B.A.T. van).  With the three additional grants, the Lawrence Police Department obtained four new hand held radar units, nine Portable Breath Testers, and two hand held Driver’s License verification computers.  The Breath Alcohol Van will be delivered during the first part of May 2005.  The radar units, portable breath testers and hand held Driver’s License readers are being utilized by patrol.  The B.A.T. van will be fully equipped to obtain breath alcohol samples from subjects being investigated for driving under the influence at the location of the traffic stop.  The B.A.T. van will reduce the amount of time the arresting officer spends at the jail during a driving under the influence arrest case.  The B.A.T. van will also house all the necessary equipment for the Traffic Unit to reconstruct serious and fatality accidents.

The Traffic Unit is in the third and final year of the Traffic Safety Project Grant.  Upon completion of the grant on September 30, 2005, we will have two full years of traffic data for comparison since the inception of the Traffic Unit.

Respectfully,

                                                                                    Sergeant Randy Roberts

                                                                                    Traffic Unit