Title
Traffic Safety and Enforcement Strategies
Description
This report provides the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee an update on traffic safety and enforcement strategies.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
The Traffic Unit is the oldest specialty Unit in the Phoenix Police Department. The unit was created prior to 1920 and initially consisted of one motorcycle officer. Since then, the Traffic Unit peaked to over 130 riding Motor Officers in the early 2000s. The Transit Unit currently includes 43 riding Motor Officers.
As staffing levels changed, the mission of the Traffic Unit evolved as well. In the early 2000's Motor Officers were required to both investigate traffic collisions as well as enforce traffic laws. To ease call burden on Patrol, the Traffic Unit adopted a model primarily consisting of collision investigations around 2015. By 2020, several studies in communities throughout the country showed traffic enforcement, or a proactive approach to road safety, was more effective than the reactive approach of investigating collisions after the fact. In April 2022, the Traffic Unit moved to a more proactive traffic safety approach. Since the Unit adopted a more proactive approach, the overall number of traffic citations for hazardous violations has increased while collisions have decreased.
Traffic Unit Staffing
The Traffic Unit is comprised of officers and supervisors specifically dedicated to traffic safety and enforcement. Currently there are 74 allotted positions for the Unit, which includes the following:
- Lieutenant: 1
- Sergeants: 11 allotted / 8 filled
- Commercial Vehicle Inspection Officers: 4 allotted / 2 filled
- Traffic Education Safety Squad Officers: 7 allotted / 6 filled
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Officers: 10 allotted / 4 filled
- Enforcement Officers: 36 allotted / 22 filled
- Civilian Administrative Staff: 4 allotted / 3 filled
- Police Assistant: 1 position
Currently, there are a total of 27 vacancies within the Unit.
Accident Data and Speed Enforcement
Please see Attachment A for Citywide accident data and Attachment B for Citywide enforcement data for 2021, 2022 and YTD 2023.
The Traffic Unit is reporting the following data for this year through Aug. 31 2023:
- Tickets Issued: 14,937
- Total Charges: 17,429
- Collision Investigations: 476
- Notice of Violations: 1,213
- DUI Investigations: 103
- Van Blood Draws: 200
- Drug Recognition Evaluations: 4
- Commercial Vehicle Inspections: 168
- Special Events Worked: 151
Enforcement Strategies
A Traffic Impact Program (TIP) is a coordinated initiative involving five to 10 officers focused on a specific geographic area while leveraging a variety of tools, such RADAR enforcement, to provide enhanced enforcement of speed violations and other traffic law violations that are observed. Previously, TIPs were not always formal enforcement efforts and were often conducted by a single or pair of Motor Officers. In April 2022, the Traffic Unit transitioned from investigating traffic collisions to primarily conducting proactive traffic enforcement. With that transition, TIPs became a more standardized squad element to increase the high-visibility benefit of massed traffic enforcement and to increase actual enforcement in a specific area.
In July 2023, the Traffic Unit conducted a reorganization of staffing to balance personnel across the four enforcement squads. In July 2023, the Traffic Unit began to formally document TIPs in an internal database. Today, all four enforcement squads are conducting one 4- to 6-hour TIP, rotating precincts weekly, as well as one combined shift TIP every other week in rotating precincts, or approximately 18 TIPs per month (staffing and special events permitting) resulting in the following numbers since the end of July 2023 (included in Department/Unit totals):
- Number of TIPs: 31
- Hazardous: 1,290
- Non-Hazardous: 944
- Total charges: 2,236
- Total citations issued: 1,330
- Educational contacts: 134
- Towed vehicles: 43
- DUIs: 10
In 2022, the City Council approved the purchase of additional RADAR trailers to assist with strategic enforcement efforts. Since the new trailers were received, they have deployed 69 times throughout all precincts.
The trailers are utilized to collect statistical data, including:
- Total number of vehicles,
- Number of vehicles at or below speed limit,
- Number of vehicles above the speed limit,
- Numbers of vehicles above citable speed and
- Time of day those vehicles drove past the trailer.
With this information, the Traffic Unit utilizes a data-based deployment approach for Motorcycle Officers. This data allows Police staff to pinpoint a specific time of day to maximize enforcement impacts and assists staff in determining when to conduct a TIP or deploy a smaller team of Motor Officers. These trailers serve as a force multiplier for the Traffic Unit.
Both trailer deployments and TIPs are planned based on traffic complaints. Complaints are received through the Traffic Hotline, internal communication from precincts and specialty units, Community meetings, Street Transportation Department notifications, and City Council office requests. Each complaint is evaluated by the Traffic Education and Safety Squad using marked and unmarked enforcement vehicles, RADAR trailers, and Motorcycle Officer support. The evaluation then leads to the deployment of a TIP or other enforcement. Complaint areas are routinely spot-checked by Traffic Motors after the completion of enforcement action.
Automated Enforcement
Red-light running (RLR) is one of the riskiest behaviors at signalized intersections. According to a report published by the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety, more than two people were killed every day across the U.S. due to noncompliance with red signal indications (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2020). According to a report published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), RLR violations caused 928 fatalities in 2020 in the United States. In addition, an estimated 116,000 people suffered injuries in RLR collisions (IIHS, 2022). Similar to cities across the nation, RLR related violations in the Phoenix metropolitan area have become one of the most severe causes of fatal crashes, with 144 fatalities and 10,685 injuries reported from 2014 to 2021. As part of the discussion on continuing traffic safety efforts, City Council directed staff to conduct research over the summer on automated enforcement safety programs and return to present a summary of the research this fall.
Prior Automated Enforcement Program
The City’s previous Program started in 2000 with 10 intersections equipped with red light cameras and two mobile speed vehicles used in 15 mile per hour (mph) school zones. The intent of the program was to reduce the number of serious injury and fatal traffic collisions by encouraging voluntary compliance with traffic laws to create a safer street environment. Over the next 19 years, the City held contracts with Lockheed Martin (later becoming Affiliated Computer Systems), American Traffic Solutions, and Redflex Traffic Systems. These contractors provided equipment, maintenance, and other services in support of the Program.
The City’s most recent Program contract was with Redflex Traffic Systems and was in place from Oct. 15, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2019, and included photo enforcement of red light running at signalized intersections and automated speed enforcement using mobile speed vehicles. Upon contract expiration, the Program included 12 fixed red light cameras at 12 intersection approaches and a total of eight mobile speed vehicles for specific use in 15 mph school zones and other pedestrian crossing points near schools. The Program was administered by the Phoenix Police Department with support from the Municipal Court and Streets.
Impact on Safety
In a 2019 before-and-after crash analysis of Phoenix’s Program, data showed a 30.7 percent reduction in red light running collisions and a 30.4 percent reduction in injuries/fatalities for the twelve intersections (with fixed red light cameras) in all directions of travel when comparing the three-year period before the installation of red light cameras (2012-2014) to the three-year period after installation of the red light cameras (2016-2018). Furthermore, the data for red light running crashes in the direction of travel monitored by the red light cameras, the number of red light running crashes was reduced 57 percent, based on the same three-year before and three-year after periods. During this same time frame, the City on average experienced a 14.7 percent increase in collisions and a 3.6 percent increase in injuries/fatalities at its intersections that were not equipped with red-light cameras.
Next Steps
Staff is scheduled to present Automated Enforcement Safety Program Options to the Transportation, Infrastructure and Planning (TIP) Subcommittee for information and discussion on Oct. 18, 2023.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays, Deputy City Manager Alan Stephenson and the Police and Street Transportation Departments.