Traffic Law Enforcement Division Staff

Name	Telephone	E-mail
Charles "Chuck" Peltier Division Chief	202 366-4295	cpeltier@nhtsa.dot.gov
Jennell Gomez, Secretary	202 366-4295	jgomez@nhtsa.dot.gov
Earl Hardy	202 366-4292	ehardy@nhtsa.dot.gov
Joe Ann O'Hara	202 366-0321	johara@nhtsa.dot.gov
Jim Onder	202 366-9785	jonder@nhtsa.dot.gov
Sandy Richardson	202 366-4294	srichardson@nhtsa.dot.gov
Dave Seiler	202 366-4291	dseiler@nhtsa.dot.gov
Vic Donoho	202 366-1657	vdonoho@nhtsa.dot.gov
Judy Hamaker	202 366-2749	jhamaker@nhtsa.dot.gov
Roger Fraser	202 366-1072	rfraser@nhtsa.dot.gov

In the past four years, in areas where no new laws were passed and no widespread enforcement efforts were undertaken, seat belt use remained constant. But in those states and communities that implemented high visibility enforcement programs, seat belt usage rates have increased dramatically.

To reach these goals, high visibility enforcement is critically important. Part-time and non-belt users must be motivated to comply with belt laws through enforcement efforts which are supported by the majority of the public. Officers representing over 5,300 agencies participated in the last National Mobilization Week.

In February 1995, a NHTSA/DOT Summit convened representatives from government, advocacy, law enforcement, business, judicial and alcohol beverage groups to discuss the impaired driving goal to reduce alcohol-related fatalities to no more than 11,000 by the year 2005. Subsequently, an Implementation Team developed an action plan based on the Summit recommendations. Terry Gainer, Executive Assistant Chief, Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, D.C., served as the law enforcement representative.

In October 1997, NHTSA released the Partners in Progress: An Impaired Driving Guide for Action. The Guide, an implementation plan for the 1995 Partners in Progress Summit recommendations, addresses the following areas:

In September 1997, NHTSA awarded eight Innovative Alcohol Cooperative Agreements totaling approximately $2.4 million in support of these efforts. The goal of this program is to identify creative, new approaches with the greatest potential for reducing alcohol involved crashes, injuries and fatalities.

May 24 - 31, 1999
Buckle Up America Week/Memorial Day Weekend - Child Passenger Safety & Seat Belts.

September 3 - 6, 1999
Labor Day Weekend - Back to School & Child Passenger Safety

December 17-19, 1999
National Holiday Lifesavers Weekend 1999 - Impaired Driving

NHTSA has awarded an 18-month, $476,525 aggressive driving enforcement demonstration project to the Milwaukee (WI) Police Department and the City of Milwaukee. The goals of this project include:

Results of this project will be used to developed effective aggressive driving countermeasures that agencies can replicate elsewhere.

Two additional demonstration enforcement projects will be awarded in 1999, to test the strategies identified in this project.

This intermodal team, composed of NHTSA and FHWA representatives, is using an interdisciplinary approach to address the aggressive driving problem. Team work plans and literature searches will be available in 1999.

In January 1999, NHTSA held a national symposium consisting of law enforcement, prosecutors and members of the judiciary to solicit ideas for developing guidelines for law enforcement and the judiciary for charging and sentencing, treatment of offenders and materials to increase awareness of the issue. Phill Recht, NHTSA Deputy Administrator, advised participants that the agency would begin to immediately assemble the recommended resources.

Aggressive Drivers: Who Are They? Flyer offering tips on what to do when encountering an aggressive driver.

Phone Numbers for Reporting Impaired, Aggressive, or Unsafe Driving. Flyer developed for motorists and public information efforts distributed as part of the Campaign Safe & Sober Traffic Law Enforcement Planner.

Aggressive Driving: Help Get the Word Out. Self-assessment designed to identify personal driving behaviors distributed as part of the Campaign Safe & Sober Traffic Law Enforcement Planner.

Life in the Fast Lane. Flyer designed for states with statutes that reserves the left lane of multi-lane highways for passing.

Battling Aggressive Driving at the Grassroots. Flyer, prepared in cooperation with Citizens Against Speeding and Aggressive Driving (CASAD), to help interested people wanting to get involved in the aggressive driving issue.

A Drivers’s Guide to Coping with Congestion. Flyer developed to increase awareness about the aggressive driving issue.

E.R. Blues. A CD containing Drive Time, the Menace of the Road public service announcement in English and Spanish.

Aggressive Driving Programs. List of ongoing enforcement and education programs.

Radio Public Service Announcements. Spanish and English public service announcements to increase awareness about the aggressive driving problem.

These documents are available from the NHTSA web site and NHTSA Regional Offices.

Agencies and organizations wishing to personalize aggressive driving material can obtain negatives or print-disks from NHTSA Headquarters.

Publication developed as a resource guide to help agencies develop aggressive driving enforcement programs.

At a national seminar organized by NHTSA and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a group of traffic safety experts and state and local law enforcement administrators identified factors that will affect police traffic services in the 21st century. Seminar participants developed a mission with objectives and strategies for setting direction for police traffic services.

Participants stated that their vision for police traffic services in the next century is to "maintain and improve its status as an essential element of the policing function in order to contribute to the overall quality of life in our communities." Their mission is "to reduce the number and severity of traffic crashes, deter and detect crime, and increase the efficient use of roadways."

The group identified four main goals for law enforcement to advance in delivering improved traffic services:

Currently, a team of law enforcement administrators is developing an implementation guide.

The NHTSA and other national and state organizations support a BAC limit of 0.08 or lower. It is known that the lowering per se limit is a proven effective countermeasure which will reduce alcohol-related traffic fatalities. In addition, NHTSA supports a zero tolerance for drivers under the age of 21 and a 0.04 limit for commercial drivers.

Campaign Safe & Sober Planners will keep flowing to state and local highway safety users into the next millennium. NHTSA has committed to producing the Planners for the next 2 years while reducing the number of planners per year to 3.

Planners, supporting each emphasis area, are distributed approximately 60 days before the start of the quarter. Copies are available from NHTSA Regional Offices and the State Highway Safety Offices. Items from each planner may also be obtained from the NHTSA Web site at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov

The issue of speed is of high priority in both NHTSA and FHWA. In an effort to reduce the number of speed-related crashes and fatalities occurring on our Nation's highways, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) policy, signed by Secretary Slater, provides state and local governments guidance for maximizing the efficient and rapid transportation of people and goods while reducing the risk of crashes due to unsafe speeds. The DOT’S policy promotes balanced programs that use the most cost-effective strategies for decreasing crash risks from speeding.

The Department of Transportation's Speed Management Work Plan, developed by the Speed Management Team composed of representatives of NHTSA and FHWA, outlines activities in speed management for the next three years. These activities include research, engineering, enforcement, public information and education. The plan is available on the NHTSA Web page at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

On October 1, 1998, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee for Guidance on Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits--a 17-member panel of multi-disciplinary experts--published a review of existing criteria and summary of new criteria to be used in establishing and enforcing speed limits in the United States. TRB Special Report # 254, Managing Speed: Review of Current Practice for Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits, identifies and discusses: practices used to set speed limits; safety considerations; new technology; enforcement issues; vehicle dynamics; and, human behavioral factors. The study was jointly funded by NHTSA, FHWA and the Centers for Disease Control. The report is available from TRB through the National Academy Press, which can be reached via the Internet at /exit.cfm?link=http://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/bookstore/ , or telephone 202 334-3214.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has established a data base of traffic records and enforcement technologies for law enforcement organizations that have an interest in traffic enforcement and community traffic safety programs. Agencies are permitted to access information, submit data and provide comments about specific technologies in the data base through an on-line electronic bulletin board, telephone and fax.

"Looking beyond the ticket" is a strategy to encourage officers to think about each traffic stop as a new opportunity to not only make the roads and streets safer, but possibly to discover a more serious traffic offense or a criminal activity. This strategy helps overcome the bias that traffic enforcement is routine. It is also a method to assist patrol officers to think and look "outside-the-box" and make the most of limited resources. This document--written by an officer, for officers--is intended to stimulate discussions within the law enforcement community about how to market the benefits of traffic law enforcement.

A 1998 report that details how the Peoria (IL) Police Department brought traffic enforcement to the forefront as a way of doing business and obtained impressive benefits in crime reduction. The proactive philosophy adopted in Peoria accomplished a reduction in crime--the first time in a decade--by reemphasizing traffic enforcement as a primary function of delivering police services to the community. Proactive traffic enforcement combined with community and problem oriented policing resulted in the system focusing tighter resources on countermeasures that produced the most impact and identified when changes should be made to certain operations. Copies of this report are available on request.

Through a Cooperative Agreement with the National Sheriffs' Association, a Suspended or Revoked Operator Enforcement Program was piloted in Ohio County, WV and Salt Lake County, UT. The program targeted drivers who continue to operate a vehicle after their license has been revoked or suspended. A Guide for establishing a program is available upon request.

The Savannah (GA) Police Department recently measured the effects of traffic enforcement on crime and crashes. The focus of the study was to demonstrate the overall reduction of traffic crashes, deaths, and injuries, while decreasing certain crimes by increased traffic enforcement activities.

The Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign (ABSBSC)--a coalition of automobile manufacturers, insurance companies, and automobile safety restraint suppliers--was formed to: 1) alert the public to the dangers of air bag deployment to unrestrained passengers, especially children, and, 2) increase seat belt and child safety seat usage through a national public relations campaign; the upgrade of seat belt use laws; and, special traffic enforcement programs (sTEPs). Through this program, the Campaign awarded High Visibility Enforcement Grants to six states (CO, CT, MO, GA, NM, and SC) to conduct high visibility enforcement and education programs to increase safety belt and child safety seat use. Recently, ABSBSC renewed their commitment through the year 2000 with an additional contribution of $15.5 million in grant monies.

A 3-day workshop designed to help agencies improve their public information function and assist executives, public affairs officers, and field and traffic commanders to work more effectively with and understand the function of the media. This interactive workshop contains practice media interviews, simulated news conferences, writing exercises, and an opportunity to pose questions to a panel of media personnel. The workshop is offered through the NHTSA Regional Offices in cooperation with the state highway safety office.

Developed through a cooperative agreement with the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST), this program contains five training modules: a Core Module and device-specific modules for radar, time-distance, lidar and photo-radar enforcement. New operators will receive the Core Module in addition to the device-specific module. Upon successfully completing the Core Module, repeating this material for each type of device will not be necessary. This approach reduces training time and expenses while maintaining quality operator training. The modules are designed to be delivered separately or in combination. The program provides a resource for agencies and academies responsible for providing operator training and developing operator certification programs. All existing speed measuring device operator training programs are being revised to this format.

Drug Evaluation and Classification Training: The Drug Recognition School (DEC)

The Drug Evaluation and Classification Program is a standardized, systematic method for law enforcement officers to determine whether observed driver impairment is due to drug use, and if so, to identify the category or categories of drugs involved. This training is designed for officers who have successfully completed SFST training.

The training consists of a 2-day "preschool" and a 7-day program with hands-on practice and certification training, including evaluations of drug-impaired subjects, conducted by certified instructors. The training is complete when the participant demonstrates proficiency as a DRE according to nationally established standards.

NHTSA continues its partnership with the IACP to support its role in the national institutionalization of the DEC. IACP maintains DEC national standards, certifies all program participants, develops and revises curricula, and provides technical assistance. Currently, 31 States and the District of Columbia are participating in this program.

An IACP approved eight and four-hour blocks developed to assist officers in identifying impairment by drugs other than alcohol and to encourage referrals to the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program. The four-hour module, Introduction to Drugged Driving, is available as an addition to the Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) Program.

The IACP Highway Safety Committee has established the following standards regarding the four and eight-hour modules: they may be taught as a stand alone or as part of an SFST course; successful completion of a NHTSA/IACP approved SFST Course should be a prerequisite to either of the drug modules; the four-hour module should be taught by a SFST instructor; the eight-hour module should be taught by a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) who is either an SFST Instructor or a DRE Instructor.

This curriculum (formerly called Occupant Protection Usage and Enforcement) contains current statistical and program information in a modular format. New occupant protection systems are discussed. The focus of this training, while continuing to encourage officers to use seat belts, is on the enforcement of relevant laws and intervention in non-use of both seat belts and child safety seats. Law enforcement trainers can use this curriculum to conduct classroom-style training sessions for officers and supervisors, as well as the public through presentations and media contacts.

This workshop is intended for officers as a supplement to the Traffic Officers Protection Strategies (TOPS) curriculum. Officers will learn how critical their role is in promoting child passenger safety. The course offers a 4-hour child passenger safety awareness program, targeted for administrators to enlist support for enhanced child passenger safety enforcement; an 8-hour orientation including child passenger safety awareness, injury prevention, correct use and installation of child restraints, the need for enforcement of child passenger safety laws, and a minimum of hands-on experience with child safety seats; and a 2-day technical, hands-on training program targeted for enforcement officers.

The 2-day course covers injury prevention, hands-on correct use and installation of child restraint systems, vehicle seat belt and child restraint compatibility issues, and developing a child passenger safety community program. Officers successfully completing the 2-day class will receive a certificate of proficiency from the IACP. NHTSA recommends that the Operation Kids course and the "core modules" of the TOPS course be considered "companion" courses, and that officers receive the TOPS training before the Operation Kids program.

NHTSA, in partnership with the IACP, is currently developing two curricula on this topic: Looking Beyond the Ticket for enforcement officers and Looking Beyond the Ticket Seminar for supervisors and administrators. The program is designed to provide officers with the knowledge and skills necessary to detect criminal behavior during traffic enforcement contacts.

Developed through a cooperative agreement with the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST), the Law Enforcement Driver Training Reference Guide was initially published in 1989. This second edition reflects many changes in training emphasis, policies, vehicle dynamics and case law. The goal of this revision is to review and enhance the existing guide to reflect contemporary concerns in law enforcement vehicle operations and operator training. The revision includes new material on risk management and pursuit issues. The Guide is intended to assist agencies in developing sound, defendable policies and training programs. Individual agencies should modify the material to satisfy their specific needs.

Bikes are a rapidly growing style of enforcement vehicles, particularly in urban areas. Bike officers have a unique opportunity to influence the sense of public safety and to encourage the use of bicycles as a viable and safe transportation choice. Based on the 1996 Secretarial Initiative on Bicycle Safety, training will be conducted in those areas where officer bike patrols have outreach abilities that can reach different age and ethnic groups about helmet use and other safe riding practices.

NHTSA has validated procedures to identify lower BAC levels using the current Standardized Field Sobriety Test Battery. These procedures will assist officers in identifying subjects at BAC levels ranging from .04 to .08 percent. A revised number of clues observed while administering HGN has been developed and field tested by officers in Tucson, AZ and Oceanside, CA.

The agency also conducted research to identify and validate visual cues that law enforcement officers can use to better detect drivers at BACs below .10. Field data collection was conducted in California to identify potential cues. The report, videotape and brochure were distributed in May 1998.

A joint research project with FHWA to examine the specific conditions under which speeding (and other unsafe driving actions--aggressive driving) lead to crashes was initiated. Crash investigations are being conducted at National Automotive Sampling Sites (NASS) to gather the appropriate data. The research plan called for a pilot test to be conduced at four NASS sites in Winter 1996 and, if successful, full scale data collection at all NASS sites. The information gained from this research will be used to guide enforcement efforts to develop other countermeasures to reduce the speed-crash problem. Result is due December 1998.

Research to develop potential improvements to the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) program is proceeding in these areas:

A study is underway to examine ways to improve the procedures that officers use when interviewing drivers who are stopped at checkpoints. The goal is to develop a method to identify more alcohol impaired drivers. Two focus groups were conducted involving six law enforcement agencies in each. Officers were asked to describe the procedures they use and the visual and behavioral cues they found effective for identifying impaired drivers.

This is an annotated bibliography of 10-year’s of behavioral research sponsored by NHTSA and conducted by the Office of Research and Evaluation. It provides a brief description of nearly two hundred projects past, present, and ongoing in impaired driving, occupant protection, speed and other unsafe driving actions, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, older drivers and other traffic safety research.

Under an Interagency Agreement with NHTSA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Office of Law Enforcement Standards, has developed performance specifications and testing protocols for radar and lidar speed measuring devices. These technical documents serve as the resource for model minimum performance specifications and equipment requirements for speed measuring devices. These performance specifications provide the public, courts, and law enforcement agencies confidence in the accuracy and reliability of speed measuring devices. The IACP’s Radar and Lidar Consumer Products Lists (CPL) includes speed measuring devices that complied with these performance specifications. The radar and lidar performance specifications are currently available.

Under a grant from NHTSA, the IACP has established four independent speed measuring device testing laboratories. The laboratories test devices to confirm compliance with NHTSA’s performance specifications before being included on the IACP’s Consumer Products List (CPL). In addition, the laboratories periodically perform the IACP’s Critical Performance Testing (CRT) to insure and maintain compliance with the performance specifications. The laboratories are at:

For information on testing agency owned devices, contact the IACP at 800-843-4227.

A new device being developed for traffic officers, called the Mobile Officer Assistant (MOA), was tested at the San Francisco (CA) Police Department in November 1997. Using a personal digital assistant, the MOA will read mag strip drivers’ licenses and bar codes used on VINs and license plates. The hand-held devices will populate data fields, automatically check the violators driving history, obtain vehicle information, and access criminal history databases and print the citation. The system will use cellular digital packet data transmissions, freeing up standard radio communications, while greatly increasing the officer’s efficiency and the accuracy of data collected. After supervisory approval, the data will be transferred directly to the municipal court system, greatly reducing the amount of paper records. The MOA will also increase officer safety by automating several tasks and lessening an officer’s direct contact with violators.

Lieutenant Judy Hamaker, Utah Highway Patrol, currently detailed to NHTSA, is assigned to work on the aggressive driving issue. Lieutenant Hamaker is developing a guide that agencies can use to identify and develop enforcement practices and public information programs that are effective in curbing aggressive driving. Agencies with ongoing aggressive driving enforcement programs are encouraged to contact Lt. Hamaker via the telephone at 202-366-2749 or e-mail at jhamaker@nhtsa.dot.gov.

Major Roger S. Fraser, Fauquier County (VA) Sheriff's Office, currently detailed to NHTSA, is assigned to work with the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) on the Youthful Impaired Driver Project. Through the partnership developed between NSA and NHTSA, this project is designed to increase the involvement of Sheriffs' Offices in the traffic enforcement role and contribute to the reduction of incidences of youthful impaired drivers.

Sergeant Vic Donoho, Tennessee Highway Patrol, currently detailed to NHTSA, is assigned to develop a publication containing case studies about the effects patrol vehicle crashes can have on a law enforcement agency fleet operation. This project will follow-up on the previous Police Fleet Crash Study conducted for NHTSA by the IACP. Agencies interested in participating in this study are encouraged to contact Sgt. Donoho via telephone at 202-366-1657 or e-mail at vdonoho@nhtsa.dot.gov

The Auto Safety Hotline is a toll-free telephone service supported by NHTSA. The Hotline provides the public the chance to help identify safety problems in motor vehicles, tires and automotive equipment. Motor vehicle safety and traffic safety literature and recall information may also be obtained from the Hotline. Consumer complaints help NHTSA identify safety problems that may lead to a safety recall. The Hotline operates from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday thru Friday. Calls can be received during non-business hours by means of a sophisticated automatic telephone answering service. A Spanish-speaking operator is available from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

NHTSA has a home page on the World Wide Web. The agency crash data, customer information, program materials, vehicle recall information, Traffic Techs, published documents, many other materials, and a special Kids Page. We now place all new materials on our web site, so our home page is updated constantly. The address is:

Publications mentioned in this report can be obtained, based on availability, by sending a "fax" request to the Traffic Law Enforcement Division, NHTSA, at 202-366-7721.

Address:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Traffic Law Enforcement Division
400 Seventh Street, SW (NTS13)
Washington, DC 20590