Law Enforcement Challenge Award Summary
The goal of the Traffic Safety Bureau is to gain voluntary compliance with the California Vehicle Code through public information and awareness campaigns and rigorous traffic enforcement.
El Cerrito received a Law Enforcement Challenge Award from the California Highway Patrol. The 2006 Traffic Safety Program was focused on pedestrian and occupant safety, bicycle safety, commercial enforcement programs and driving under the influence awareness campaigns.
The California Law Enforcement Challenge is a competition between similar sizes and types of law enforcement agencies. It recognizes and rewards the best overall traffic safety programs in California. Agencies submit an application which documents their efforts and effectiveness to enforce laws and educate the public about occupant protection, impaired driving, and speeding. Programs are judged based on officer training, public information and enforcement to reduce crashes and injuries. El Cerrito competed against other California Law Enforcement Agencies (Sheriff's Departments, Police Departments, etc.) with 26 - 50 Officers, and received 2nd place.
See www.chp.ca.gov/clec/clec2006results.html for a list of the awards.
The City and the Police Department believe traffic safety, coupled with traffic enforcement enhance the quality of life for every resident. To this end the El Cerrito Police Department places an emphasis on traffic enforcement, accident investigation and occupant protection.
During 2006, the El Cerrito Police Department’s Traffic Safety Bureau utilized a year long safety campaign encompassing pedestrian and occupant safety, bicycle safety, commercial enforcement programs and driving under the influence awareness campaigns. The Traffic Bureau increased speed enforcement and the collective result was a reduction in injury and non-injury collisions. The Department is proud of the increased effort in traffic safety and looks forward to continuing the trend of vehicular safety and collision reduction.
2006 Traffic Safety Program Highlights
Occupant Protection
Increased safety belt use rates directly relates to a reduction in the number of injury accidents.
- During 2006, officers issued 1096 citations for occupant protection violations compared with 643 in 2005.
- The El Cerrito Police Department participated in the “Click it or Ticket” campaign regarding occupant safety including laws applicable to child safety seat installation and protection. The City received a $15,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, (OTS) for the “Click It or Ticket” Campaign.
- Enforcement actions consisted of 2 – 6 officer patrol operations focusing on seatbelt and child safety seat violations.
- During the highest three month enforcement period, February April and May, officers issued 364 citations for a driver or occupant of a vehicle not wearing a seatbelt. An additional 69 citations were issued for child safety seat violations.
- The Department also participated in the national “Buckle Up America” campaign in February as well as the national Child Safety Week in February and conducted two student presentations.
Seat belt surveys were conducted on three separate occasions at three intersections in El Cerrito. The surveys were consistent, monitoring approximately two hundred cars at each location. Initial seat belt usage rate was 91% for drivers and occupants. In May the usage rate felt to just over 90%, but following the “Click it or Ticket” enforcement period, a subsequent survey showed the seat belt use rate climbed to 93.6%. The increased rate of seatbelt use can be attributed to the enforcement campaign as well as awareness through media coverage.
Driving Under the Influence Enforcement Program
The El Cerrito Police Department strictly enforces DUI laws and strives to educate our citizens through prevention.
- ECPD are regularly mobilizing for roving DUI enforcement patrols and increased the number of DUI arrests this year by 30% from 2005.
- The El Cerrito Police Department is very active in the Contra Costa County “Avoid the 25” enforcement campaign during each year. ECPD used roving / saturation patrols during the year including holiday weekends such as Independence Day, Memorial Day and the winter holiday season.
- The El Cerrito Police Department hosted a DUI checkpoint as part of the “Avoid the 25” campaign. The Labor Day check point was the most successful in the County, screening over 1000 cars and making nine arrests while issuing 34 citations and impounding sixteen vehicles.
- Sgt. Shawn Maples and Officer Christopher Mills were honored for their efforts during Contra Costa County’s “Avoid the 25” campaign.
- Another DUI checkpoint was conducted in a residential area in response to an increase in DUI related collisions at the location. Several hundred cars were screened and three DUI arrests were made and several vehicles were impounded. Both checkpoints were preceded by media informational campaigns seeking to alert drivers to the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
- Traffic officers assisted the San Pablo Police Department with three additional DUI checkpoints in that City, meaning El Cerrito officers were part of 5 DUI checkpoints for the year.
- Arrests increased for impaired driving increased 30% from 117 in 2005 to 152 in 2006.
Speed Enforcement
Obeying the speed limit helps to reduce the number and severity of collisions.
- The department utilizes a variety of methods to enforce speed related laws including handheld laser units (or “Lidar”), handheld radar units, vehicle mounted radar units and a radar trailer. The department has a three member traffic unit.
- Officers issued 856 citations for excessive speed.
- Recent speed enforcement efforts have lead to a decrease in accidents over a three year period beginning in 2004. Accident rates declined each year in 2005 and 2006 with the greatest decrease coming in 2006. A 13% decrease in collisions from 575 in 2005, to 502 in 2006 can be attributed to intensive enforcement efforts.
- Speed as a primary collision factor was found in 20.4% of collisions in 2004. That number was reduced to 19% in 2005 and reduced further in 2006 to 17%.
- The use of the Lidar greatly increased the number of speed citations, allowing officers to use the tool in more congested areas. Check back soon for a graph / chart depicting injury accidents and speed related collisions for 2006.
- The Traffic Unit utilizes a speed enforcement trailer on a regular basis. The Traffic Unit maintains a
citizen request log for those residents requesting the radar trailer in their neighborhood. The radar trailer is used to conduct the traffic and engineering surveys for all roads in El Cerrito. For each speed enforcement request received by the traffic unit, the radar trailer or a traffic officer is deployed at the location. The statistical information is gathered and maintained by the traffic officers.
Commercial Enforcement
The El Cerrito Police Department has made an effort to improve and enhance commercial vehicle safety. Residents and visitors to El Cerrito know that large quantities of commercial vehicles travel the San Pablo Ave corridor, particularly during the work week. In January of 2006 the traffic safety unit began a year long educational and enforcement campaign directed at commercial vehicles.
Three commercial vehicle check points were conducted in El Cerrito. The California Highway Patrol and San Pablo Police Department participated in each check point, providing knowledge and level one inspections when needed. A total of 19 commercial vehicles were taken out of service and over fifty citations were issued; most with multiple offenses. An additional roving commercial enforcement detail was held on the southern end of the City.
Pedestrian & Bicycle Enforcement
ECPD monitor intersections and roadways regarding pedestrian and vehicle right of ways.
- Officers may issue citations for jaywalking and violations for a vehicle passing another vehicle stopped for pedestrians.
- Officers also enforce local laws and the Vehicle Code sections guiding proper bicycle operations including lighting, reflectors, riding on the right side of the roadway and in the direction of traffic.
Driver’s License Enforcement
- In 2006, the ECPD hosted two driver’s license check points. The driver’s license check points resulted in several citations being issued and over twenty five vehicles being impounded for a variety of driving offenses. The checkpoints were conducted because a correlation was found between the number of collisions occurring in El Cerrito and drivers not having insurance. Often the driver who did not have insurance also had a suspended or revoked driver’s license.
Public Information and Education
The Traffic Safety Unit embarked on a year long educational campaign to provide information and to gain voluntary compliance with the California Vehicle Code.
The Traffic Safety Unit works closely with the schools and day care programs in El Cerrito.
During the school safety presentations, children (4 years through 8 years of age) were provided with general pedestrian and bicycling safety guidelines.
COMMUNITY EVENTS:
The El Cerrito Police Department uses every opportunity to promote pedestrian and vehicle safety.
- Tri City Safety Day-Officers partnered with many organizations throughout the year to promote citizen safety. During the “Tri City Safety Day” gathering, fire departments, police departments and the United States Armed Forces teamed to share information with the public. Officers from the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) PD, the Albany PD, El Cerrito PD and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department were available during the day.
- National Night Out – The City of El Cerrito and the El Cerrito Police Department have participated in the National Night Out project for several years. The City has received recognition from the National Association of Town Watch for the third consecutive year. The City and Police Department are proud of the efforts in this area and proud of the recognition as one of the 50 best National Night Out programs in California.
- Also part of the year long safety campaign, traffic officers attended El Cerrito’s July 4th celebration. The Police Department and Fire Department teamed to bring a general safety presentation to all citizens who stopped at the booth.
Select Printed Newspaper Articles
Effectiveness of Efforts
The culmination of all the enforcement efforts was a reduction in vehicle collisions, fatal collisions and injury collisions for 2006.
Check back here soon for Speed Enforcement and Relative Collision Data Charts.
Directed enforcement coupled with a year long informational and educational campaign brought traffic safety to the forefront of citizens. There was a reduction in collisions from 574 in 2005 to 502 in 2006. This was a reduction of 12.5%. There were no fatal collisions in 2006 and injury collisions were reduced in 2006 as well.
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