Mid- West - Extra patrols no longer reserved for holidays

OFF THE WIRE
http://www.jconline.com/article/20101218/NEWS/12180335/Extra-patrols-no-longer-reserved-for-holidays
By JUSTIN L. MACK • jmack@jconline.com • December 18, 2010


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2Previous PageThe holiday season is synonymous with heavy traffic.

"It's like tradition for me now to sit on (Interstate) 65 in bumper-to-bumper traffic every Christmas," said Duane Moore, a Lafayette resident originally from Chicago.

"I split my time between Chicago, Lafayette and Indianapolis almost every weekend this month to see family and stuff.

"Between the weather and other people doing the same kind of driving ... it can get really bad."

To keep motorists safe during their year-end commutes, law enforcement agencies often perform targeted enforcement patrols commonly referred to as "blitzes."

Each blitz has a different focus, but the primary objective is the same -- increase the number of officers on roadways to decrease the number of people getting hurt.

"We're not looking to stop people for no reason," said Sgt. Jason Philhower of the West Lafayette Police Department. "Generally, when we're doing a checkpoint or a blitz, we get a lot of positive reinforcement. People are responsive and glad to see us out there.

"It's more of a visibility thing."

Once reserved only for the holidays and heavy travel weekends, federally funded enforcement efforts of some kind are now being rolled out on a monthly basis.

Some efforts are weeklong joint projects conducted by hundreds of different entities, and others are smaller initiatives run by a single department.

Federal grant money for blitzes and other initiatives was awarded to Indiana law enforcement agencies in October, the start of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's fiscal year.

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a 2011 budget of $14.4 million for such efforts.

How the money is spread out is based on year-end statistics.

By looking at citations, crash data and other figures, the NHTSA decides which areas to focus on. Drunk driving initiatives receive far more grant money than, say, motorcycle safety initiatives.

Local departments then receive a cut of the total funding based on their size. Lafayette Police Sgt. Max Smith is the coordinator for the agencies in Tippecanoe County that receive the grant money

Lafayette, West Lafayette, Purdue and Tippecanoe County officers have formed a partnership to ensure consistent enforcement throughout the county.

Smith said for the current fiscal year, the four departments have received a total of $200,000 in the form of four targeted grants: $35,000 for DUI efforts; $20,000 for aggressive and dangerous driving patrols; $85,000 for fatal alcohol crash teams; and $60,000 for blitzes.

Smith said throughout the month of December, local police are running a program focused on seat belts and rider safety. In January, they will begin to target impaired drivers.

To make sure there are enough officers to properly perform these blitzes, officers can sign up to participate on a first come, first served basis for the additional hours.

But Smith said it's also important to distinguish the hours logged by patrolmen during blitzes from typical overtime.

"This isn't overtime ...it's off-duty time," he said. "These are officers who decided to work during their time off to help keep the streets safe."

Smith said during the blitzes, the state sets a goal of three traffic contacts per hour for officers. Those who fall short of the mark lose the opportunity to work additional hours.

But Indiana State Police Sgt. Tony Slocum said it's rare for an officer to miss the target.

"It's not a quota per se. When you work the blitzes, you can focus on traffic," he said. "You aren't answering the routine calls or responding to general stuff."

Slocum said only emergency situations pull officers working blitzes away from watching the roads.

West Lafayette's Philhower said the grant money does a good job of paying for the larger statewide initiatives, and also leaves plenty left over for departments to coordinate their own efforts.

"It seems like we're able to do quite a bit with what we're getting," he said.

For travelers like Moore, the idea of increasing the number of police on the road makes perfect sense during Christmas and New Year's Eve.

"I don't mind them," he said. "As long as they don't pull me over, I'm happy to have them."