PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Marion County, Indiana
is the largest urban area in the State, accounting for approximately
17 percent of the total population. Similar to most urban areas,
the county has been experiencing a growth in criminal activity,
a serious concern to both the general public and the law enforcement
community. Summertime, in particular, marks a significant increase
in crime, in addition to a marked increase in alcohol-related
and other traffic crashes. The increase in criminal activity,
coupled with limited police resources, has typically led to a
transfer of law enforcement resources from traffic patrol to
anti-crime enforcement. In recent years, however, traffic patrol
has proven to be an effective tool in the reduction of criminal
activity as well as reducing traffic violations by "looking
beyond the traffic ticket" in focus.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The primary goal of
the Summer Enforcement Project was to reduce traffic-related
deaths and injuries while demonstrating to local officials the
positive effects of traffic patrols on criminal enforcement.
This goal would be met by:
- Increasing traffic
enforcement throughout the county, with an emphasis on speed,
impaired driving and safety belt violations, particularly at
high crash locations
- Increasing public support
for traffic enforcement through a low-cost public information
program
- Documenting the relationship
between traffic enforcement and criminal arrests
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Throughout the program,
emphasis was placed on maintaining a multi-jurisdictional, cooperative
approach to traffic enforcement. The Marion County Sheriff's
Department, three local police departments, and the Indiana State
Police participated in the following cooperative activities:
- Project 55, a special
speed enforcement program on the Interstates and any State roads
with a 55 MPH speed limit
- Patrols of high crash
intersections in Indianapolis during peak driving hours
- Impaired driver saturation
patrols on weekends
- Weekly sobriety checkpoints
held at random locations throughout the county
- Targeted public relations
campaign sponsored by corporate partners
- On-going data collection
on all citations and criminal arrests through the summer enforcement
campaign
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