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Spring 2012 Smart, Safe & Sober Newsletter

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Virginia Highway Safety Committee Meets in Richmond

New traffic laws and officer safety programs were hot topics for the Virginia Highway Safety Committee at its April 3rd meeting in Richmond.  The committee, co-chaired by New Kent County Sheriff Wakie Howard and Warsaw Police Chief Chris Spare, reviewed a variety of traffic safety and enforcement issues of concern for Virginia law enforcement agencies.

Traffic Fines Diversion Issue:
Committee members from local law enforcement agencies expressed concern about the language in the Senate version of the state budget that would divert a portion of traffic fines into the state’s coffers that are currently held by the localities under local ordinance enforcement.  Several committee members noted that the fiscal impact could be severe on the smaller local law enforcement agencies, and feared that the General Assembly would continue to take a larger percentage of the fines in future state budget actions.  The Virginia General Assembly reconvenes on April 18 to vote on the state budget.

Virginia Law Enforcement Challenge Program:
The committee discussed ways to recognize the innovative traffic safety and enforcement programs developed by Virginia law enforcement agencies that are not part of the national Law Enforcement Challenge judging criteria.  Challenge Coordinator Erin Schrad noted that there isn’t an option on the current national program entry form for Virginia agencies to receive points for some of their traffic enforcement efforts.  The committee will explore ways for the Virginia Law Enforcement Challenge program to recognize and promote innovative Virginia traffic enforcement programs.

Officer Buckle Up Campaign and Seat Belt Policies:
The Officer Buckle Up poster program has been very popular with Virginia law enforcement agencies, and several have requested posters that are customized with photos of their own agency personnel.  The committee approved a staff recommendation that agencies requesting customized posters should show proof that they have mandatory seat belt policies.  Staff requested assistance from the committee in developing a recommended seat belt policy for Virginia law enforcement agencies.

Officer Safety Program and Officer Involved Crashes:
Speed and the failure to wear seat belts are key factors in officer-involved crashes.  The committee members agreed that administrative discipline that addresses re-training and career is effective in getting officers to drive more safely, even in responding to calls for service and emergencies.  Staff will explore the development of model policy and training programs for the chiefs and sheriffs that promote officer safety in patrol operations.

2012 General Assembly Legislative Update:
Staff reviewed traffic safety legislation that was considered by the General Assembly, including ignition interlock, motorcycle laws and distracted driving.  The passage of the ignition interlock requirement on first time DUI offenders may have some unintended consequences, including more plea bargaining down the charges, and more charging of reckless driving instead of DUI.  Staff said they would look into these possible issues and address the topic in training programs.  Other statutory changes include the prohibition of motorcycle-only checkpoints, and allowing motorcyclists to ride two abreast on Virginia roads.  The committee expressed safety concerns about the passage of the two-abreast authority for motorcyclists.  It was noted that the FR300 crash report may need to add a field for addressing this change in motorcycle crash investigations.  The committee also discussed the failure of the texting while driving prohibitions, and the possibility of addressing texting while driving as a form of reckless driving.  The members agreed that texting was a serious factor in distracted driving, but recognized the difficulty in enforcing a prohibition.

Campus Police/Security Agencies-New Program Opportunities/Mutual Aid Agreements:
The committee discussed the passage of legislation that requires campus police departments to develop mutual aid agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies.  Staff noted that this created an opportunity for campus police departments to work with state and local agencies on traffic enforcement programs such as checkpoints and DUI enforcement.  Albemarle County and Richmond Police Departments reported that they had successfully worked with campus police on joint traffic enforcement efforts that could be a model for other localities and campuses.

Virginia Medical Alert Program:
The committee provided input to staff on a project underway to provide a medical alert program for drivers with certain medical problems.  The goal of the program is to communicate quickly to law enforcement when a driver may have a medical condition that could be a contributing factor in a traffic crash or traffic law violation.  The committee agreed that the program could not confer special privileges to drivers just because of a medical condition, but could provide critical information that law enforcement should know about a driver.  Chief Spare said we should look at the Yellow Dot program used by Orange County to see if we could incorporate that into the Medical Alert Program.  The committee agreed to review the program as it develops.

Virginia Strategic Highway Safety Plan:
The committee was provided with a draft copy of the 2012-2016 highway safety plan and asked to review the recommendations that impact law enforcement.  The committee’s input will be shared with the consultants who are working with the Virginia Department of Transportation on the development of the plan, which addresses engineering, education and enforcement solutions for highway safety in Virginia.  Colonel Flaherty noted a need to emphasize support for the Move Over and Quick Clearance programs to improve safety on Virginia highways.

Smart, Safe & Sober Calendar:
The committee also agreed that the Smart Safe and Sober calendar produced each year is most effective and useful in printed form, and that an electronic calendar would not be used by law enforcement agencies. 

TREDS Data Sharing:
Sheriff Jett recommended that the staff encourage Virginia law enforcement agencies to activate their TREDS database programs so that information from traffic crash reports could be effectively communicated to other law enforcement agencies.

The committee plans to meet again in October.

In addition to the co-chairs, the Highway Safety Committee is comprised of four additional chiefs (Arlington County Chief Doug Scott, West Point Chief Bill Hodges, Colonial Heights Chief Jeff Faries and Albemarle County Chief Steve Sellers) and four additional sheriffs (Goochland County Sheriff Jim Agnew, Stafford County Sheriff Charlie Jett, Hanover County Sheriff Dave Hines and Montgomery County Sheriff Tommy Whitt, who could not attend) and Virginia State Police Superintendent Steve Flaherty.

Staff from the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police – Dana Schrad, Erin Schrad and Suzanne Robinson – provides support services for the committee.  Special guests at the meeting were Richmond Police Lieutenant Robert Marland, Drive Smart Virginia Executive Director Janet Brooking and Virginia Highway Safety Office representative Kimberly Burt.

 

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