As we enter the new millennium, many different issues compete for attention from today’s law enforcement executives. In turn, to be effective leaders, today’s executives must not only manage present-day issues but must keep an eye towards the future. Effective traffic management systems which use dedicated, effective traffic safety strategies are critical to the overall success of any law enforcement organization.
In September 1996, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in cooperation with the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), sponsored a meeting of law enforcement executives in Reno, Nevada, to discuss the issue of police traffic services in the 21st century. As a product of that meeting, a manual was developed and distributed to law enforcement executives and organizations.
Following the PERF effort, NHTSA contacted the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) for comments and possible follow-up discussion. It was determined that additional work on this important issue would be beneficial to all law enforcement and allied organizations, and, as a result, the IACP entered into a partnership with NHTSA to produce this document. The chairman of IACP’s Highway Safety Committee (HSC) assumed responsibility for this project and appointed a subcommittee of HSC members and other law enforcement executives to produce this report.
To provide law enforcement personnel with diverse strategies and promising practices that will enable them to effectively address traffic safety issues and emerging trends in the new millennium.
The new millennium will bring law enforcement executives an opportunity to lead their organizations towards the goal of a safe and efficient highway transportation system. Such a system will produce varied benefits to our communities and have a positive impact on our way of life. Through a strong commitment to traffic safety, law enforcement organizations will help to ensure that these positive results occur in the present and well into the future.