CALIFORNIA - Citrus Heights police target speeders, noisy vehicles

OFF THE WIRE
http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2011/07/citrus-heights-98.html
Citrus Heights police target speeders, noisy vehicles

The Citrus Heights Police Department is zeroing in on speeding motorists, noisy vehicles and motorcycle safety.
Officers will conduct additional speed and muffler enforcement throughout the remainder of 2011 as part of a grant awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety, according to a Police Department news release.
In 2010, 287 collisions in the city resulted in injuries or death. Of those collisions, police said, 120, or 42 percent, were speed related.
As part of the grant, police identified areas within the city where a large number of speed-related collisions have occurred. The department has placed mobile speed trailers that display the speed of approaching vehicles to provide motorists with visual feedback regarding their speed. Additional officers also have been assigned to these areas to enforce speed laws.
Officials said the speed trailers are a reminder to motorists to slow down and also allow the Police Department to evaluate their effectiveness. Through education and enforcement, the Police Department seeks to reduce the number of people injured from speed-related collisions.
In addition to speed, police said, excessive noise from motor vehicles affects health, safety and quality of life in the community, leading the Police Department to undertake additional vehicle noise enforcement throughout the city.
Officers have received additional training in muffler and loud noise violations, and are issuing citations when appropriate, according to the news release. Citations for correction of the noise problem will have to be signed off at the Citrus Heights Police Department or the state Bureau of Automotive Repair. The grant provided the Police Department with equipment to measure noise levels to ensure compliance.
Another aspect of grant-funded activities will focus on motorcycle safety. In 2010, the Citrus Heights Police Department investigated 23 injury collisions involving motorcycles, and in nearly 35 percent, speed was the primary factor leading to the collision, according to the news release. The first of these motorcycle safety operations, providing feedback to motorcyclists, is scheduled for the afternoon and evening of Aug. 12.
Residents wishing to report chronic speed of noise problems in their neighborhood, or other traffic-related concerns, can call the Police Department's traffic complaint line at (916) 727-5525, or report a violation online at http://cops.citrusheights.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102&Itemid=178 
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