Livermore Police Department Gains National Recognition

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http://www.independentnews.com/fullstory.php?newsid=869Livermore Police Department Gains National Recognition
By The Independent The Livermore Police Department (LPD) will be receiving both Statewide and National recognition for its efforts in regard to traffic safety during the year 2009. LPD has been recognized as having the second best traffic safety program in the United States for agencies who have 76 to 100 sworn officers. This recognition comes from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and covers the year 2009.
“To be selected as one of the best traffic safety agencies in the nation by the IACP is something to be very proud of and is simply outstanding,” said Police Chief Steve Sweeney. “This recognition is a direct reflection of the dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment of our officers. To be recognized is something we can all be proud of.”
The IACP coordinates the National Law Enforcement Challenge. The National Law Enforcement Challenge provides law enforcement agencies across the nation with an opportunity to make a significant difference in the communities they serve. The Challenge is a friendly competition between similar sizes and types of law enforcement agencies that recognizes and rewards the best overall traffic safety programs in the United States.
The program is designed to strengthen and support traffic enforcement nationwide and targets three major traffic safety priorities: occupant protection, impaired driving, and speeding. Participating agencies are asked to provide documentation on their agency’s efforts and effectiveness in areas of officer training, public information, and enforcement to reduce crashes and injuries.
The IACP receives applications from departments across the nation; then grades each application. Agencies are divided into bands of similar sized agencies and winning programs are selected from each band. In addition to selecting overall award winning agencies in each band, the IACP looks at each application to select the best program in the nation in the Special Category Award areas of Speed Enforcement, Occupant Protection, Commercial Motor Vehicle, Motorcycle Safety, Bike/Pedestrian Safety, Technology, Child Passenger Safety, and Impaired Driving.
In addition to the recognition being received from the IACP, the Livermore Police Department was selected as being the top traffic safety agency in the State of California for agencies with 86 to 105 officers in 2009. This recognition was awarded by the California Law Enforcement Challenge (CLEC) which is run by the California Highway Patrol. This is the second year in a row that LPD has been recognized as the best traffic safety agency in the state. In addition to this award, LPD was selected as having the best Child Passenger Safety program and the best Motorcycle Safety program in the state for all agencies regardless of size.
“To be recognized as the top traffic safety agency in the State is an incredible feat said Lieutenant Ava Garavatti who supervises LPD’s traffic unit. LPD has been a fierce advocate for traffic safety and works diligently through both education and enforcement efforts to make our roadways safe for all motorists. Beyond being recognized for our efforts, it is important to know that over the last three years we have seen significant reductions in the number of collisions occurring in town, the number of people being injured in collisions, and the number of motorists being killed as a result of a vehicle collision. These awards are something to be very proud of. We have put a lot of effort into promoting motorcycle safety and continue to educate the public on the importance of properly securing children in vehicles.”
The department partners with the Office of Traffic Safety and has received numerous grants to supplement enforcement efforts.
More information about the National Law Enforcement Challenge can be found by visiting the IACP website at www.theiacp.org. More information about the California Law Enforcement Challenge can be found by visiting the CHP website at www.chp.ca.gov.