PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Throughout the 1990s in the Region 6 states (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and the Indian Nations), many law enforcement agencies were experiencing tightening budgets while feeling enormous public pressure to respond to rising crime rates. As a result, traffic enforcement as a whole was de-emphasized and resources devoted to traffic safety were channeled into other police activities. Traffic-related deaths during this time began to rise and safety belt use rates leveled off in the Region.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goals of Operation Blue TALON are to:

• elevate traffic law enforcement to a higher priority in Region 6 by giving police agencies increased ownership of motor vehicle injury prevention efforts and establishing a common identity that crossed municipal boundaries and state borders;

• combine high-level enforcement activities with increased public awareness and highly visible campaign branding; and

• increase coordination of enforcement efforts across the Region by forging new partnerships among law enforcement agencies and other traffic safety advocates, utilizing State and Region Law Enforcement Liaisons to promote the effort.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Operation Blue TALON (an acronym for the 5 states and Bureau of Indian Affairs) was piloted in 1998 by soliciting written commitments from law enforcement agencies to increase their public information and enforcement strategies of traffic laws. The initial commitment numbered some 500 policing agencies mostly in the pilot target state of Texas. Today, written pledges have increased to well over 1,600 agencies, representing more than 74,000 law enforcement officers in all five states and the Indian Nations. The campaign, which targeted the Labor Day weekend when other national enforcement mobilizations were not being conducted, included the following events:

• Mobilizing troopers, officers, and deputies enforcement efforts to send a united message to the public that injuries and deaths on the Region's streets and highways must be stopped and traffic enforcement is the most effective way to crackdown on crashes.

• Increasing enforcement on all roadways, with special emphasis on Interstates 10, 30, 35, and 40, the main arteries connecting the five states.

• Conducting kickoff press events in each state to announce the joint law enforcement venture to the public. Numerous local enforcement agencies also conducted their own press events and public awareness activities in their jurisdictions prior to the holiday.

• The Police Law Enforcement Television Network (LETN) satellite transmitted information and highlights of the events to subscribers nationwide and made satellite/Internet feeds available to Region 6 media outlets. LETN donated the production of enforcement videos for use by State Police agencies.

• Delivering media releases custom-tailored to states, distributed live copy radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and op-eds to media, and facilitated media events.

RESULTS

Operation Blue TALON: Crash Crackdown created a unique common bond and high program recognition with the law enforcement community by uniting the efforts of officers across traditional jurisdictional lines. During the pilot campaign conducted primarily in Texas, Operation Blue TALON helped reduce that state’s Memorial holiday weekend fatalities from 34 in 1997 to only 19 in 1998. The campaign theme was not used in 1999. The first comprehensive Operation Blue TALON: Crash Crackdown resulted in an impressive reduction of fatalities over the Labor Day Holiday. Deaths were reduced in the Region by 35 percent, compared to the same time period in 1999 (85 deaths) and in 2000 (55 deaths).

   WINTER 2002