NCJ Number
114317
Journal
National Sheriff Volume: 40 Issue: 5 Dated: (October/November 1988) Pages: 23-27
Date Published
1988
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Traffic law enforcement is related rather than separate from crime control and public safety, in that 90 percent of motor vehicle accidents are the direct result of a traffic violation and traffic crashes are the most serious threat to the public's personal and financial security.
Abstract
In addition, the Son of Sam case in New York shows that even a parking ticket can have implications for criminal law enforcement and that law enforcement activity does not take place in a social vacuum. Traffic law enforcement gives high visibility to patrol activity and may have a profound effect on the perceptions of offenders. However, improving law enforcement does not necessarily mean spending more money on more law enforcements. Rather, changes in their role perception and procedures are needed. Police agencies should discourage any perception that officers in a traffic unit deal only with traffic and that general patrol officers deal with crime to the exclusion of traffic enforcement. All police officers are sworn officers with the responsibility for protecting life and property. Police agencies should not wait for the public to recognize the importance of traffic law enforcement for public safety.