DELAWARE STATE POLICE TRAFFIC SECTION
Captain William J. Alexander
With 14 troopers and nine civilian employees, the Delaware State Police Traffic Section performs a dual role within the Division. At the Headquarters Building in Dover, support and administrative functions are performed which relate to statewide recordkeeping and Divisional traffic enforcement. Just north of Smyrna, the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit (CVEU) is located at the Blackbird Weigh Station, and is charged with the operational responsibilities of proactive and reactive enforcement related to commercial vehicles.
Geared toward the support of overall traffic operations, personnel assigned to the Headquarters Building fulfill several key duties and responsibilities. Traffic initiatives, programs and campaigns are determined by the Director, and passed along to the relevant patrol troops for implementation. To provide the logic for these, the Traffic Section Tactical Analyst utilizes the Criminal Highway Analysis and Mapping for Public Safety (CHAMPS) system to acutely identify and isolate problem traffic areas throughout the state so that initiatives for enforcement can be implemented. This system came on-line in 2008, in conjunction with the Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS). Statistics are also provided by the Divisional Statistician to a large extent, since the CHAMPS system is new to the state. To add more patrol efforts to the forenamed, OHS uses statistics-based studies to recommend various target areas for enforcement, and provides federal funding to staff the initiatives.
An effective analytical tool specifically for fatal crashes is the Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Housed within the Traffic Section as the only one of its kind in the state, this nationwide mechanism provides for the FARS Coordinator (assigned to the Traffic Section) to collect statewide fatal crash data in an expeditious manner. The data is then analyzed and placed into statistical databases within the state, and at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). FARS data yields some of the most accurate, real-time statistics available, which provides a formidable tool to plan initiatives to combat traffic fatalities.
As for battling intersection crashes, the Electronic Red Light Safety Program (ERLSP) technicians mitigate the results of red light violators captured on camera at various intersections throughout the state. Since 2006, there has been a 27% decrease in red light citations issued, along with a congruent drop in intersection crash rates. ERLSP Technicians assigned to the Traffic Section reviewed approximately 111 citable red light violations per day, resulting in the issuance of 22,708 citations for 2008.
Divisional collisions that involve vehicles owned by the Delaware State Police are investigated by patrol supervisors, and forwarded to the Traffic Section. They are then analyzed and reviewed by the Divisional Crash Review Board, which makes recommendations in an effort to reduce the overall number of these collisions. An additional responsibility of the Traffic Section is the collection and archiving of motor vehicle collision reports, along with the dissemination of these reports to the public, attorney’s offices, insurance companies, and others with a vested interest in a particular case. In 2008, the Traffic Section responded to 15,053 requests for collision reports, which averaged out to approximately 61 requests per work day.
There are a multitude of other support and administrative duties performed by Traffic Section personnel assigned to the Headquarters Building, equaled by the operational duties performed by CVEU personnel assigned to the Blackbird Weigh Station where they are broken into two subunits. The Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) unit’s primary responsibility is to perform inspections of commercial vehicles to assure compliance with state and federal regulations. The majority of these inspections are done at various locations throughout the state, while some are conducted at the Blackbird Weigh Station, which also houses the Truck Enforcement Unit (TEU). MCSAP personnel also provided numerous presentations to various groups and schools relating to commercial vehicle safety, including the “No Zone” presentation where participants get an appropriate understanding of the visibility limitations associated with tractor trailers.
TEU personnel ensure conformity with size and weight laws as they relate to commercial vehicles, and run the Blackbird Weigh Station where commercial vehicle weights are checked as they drive over fixed scales. TEU personnel also take portable scales to various locations throughout the state to conduct commercial vehicle weight checks, while also ensuring congruence with size regulations.
In 2008, both units that comprise CVEU accomplished the following-
- Commercial motor vehicle inspections conducted: 4,785
- Commercial motor vehicles weighed on fixed and portable scales: 9,826
- Drivers placed out of service for non-compliance with regulations: 468
- Vehicles placed out of service for non-compliance with regulations: 1,436
- Traffic arrests for dangerous, moving violations: 1,150
- Traffic arrests for other violations: 2,704
- Seatbelt arrests: 649
In Delaware during 2008, there were 106 fatal crashes which caused the deaths of 122 people. Of those crashes, 88 were investigated by the Delaware State Police. This is a 7% drop over the previous year’s 94 fatal crashes that were investigated by Delaware Troopers. Speeding ranked as the #1 cause of death, accounting for 19% of all fatal crashes in 2008. As far as personal injury and property damage collisions, Inattentive Driving ranked as the #1 contributor.
In an effort to reduce these crashes throughout the year, the Delaware State Police actively participated in statewide campaigns such as “Click it or Ticket” (seatbelt enforcement), “Checkpoint Strikeforce” and “DUI Saturation Patrol” (DUI), “Stop Aggressive Driving Patrol” (aggressive driving-related violations), “Teen Hot Spots” and “Cops in Shops” (teen drinking), “Pedestrian Patrol” (reduce pedestrian crashes) and “Project CARE” (summer holiday patrols). These campaigns were funded with federal monies through OHS, to curb potentially dangerous driving behaviors throughout the state.
As a result of funding provided by OHS, the Traffic Section acquired and distributed 20 laser speed detection units, 30 radar units, and 43 portable breath test units for DUI enforcement. Each was proportionally assigned to the eight patrol troops in Delaware.
Given these tools, along with additional funding for traffic initiatives, Delaware Troopers yielded numerous traffic arrests to battle crashes and negative driving behaviors throughout Delaware in 2008. Troopers made the following arrests during the year:
- Total traffic arrests: 144,822
- Aggressive driving-related: 60,261
- DUI: 4,310
- Inattentive driving: 3,810
To further exemplify the Division’s commitment to traffic safety, during Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving weekends, all administrative personnel assigned to Headquarters worked at various troops to augment traffic enforcement and create a higher state of visibility. Each trooper assigned to this duty was given a specific sector to work, based upon 2007’s analysis of fatal and serious injury crashes. As a result of everyone’s staunch presence, there were no serious injuries or fatalities that occurred in any of those areas worked during those time frames, making the program a success.
- Information obtained from 2008 DSP
Annual Report -
