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Evaluation

letter State, county, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies should develop a comprehensive evaluation program to measure progress toward established project goals and objectives, effectively plan and implement traffic enforcement programs, optimize the allocation of limited resources, measure the impact of traffic enforcement on reducing crime and traffic crashes, fatalities, and injuries, and compare costs of criminal activity to costs of traffic crashes. Evaluation of traffic enforcement programs should occur first at the local level and then be compiled into a statewide evaluation process. This type of evaluation will better enable the State to identify and mitigate obstacles and weaknesses.

Law enforcement managers should:

  • include evaluation in initial program planning efforts to ensure that data will be available and that sufficient resources will be allocated;

  • report results regularly to the SHSO, project and program managers, to police field commanders and officers, and to the public and private sectors;

  • use results to guide future activities and to assist in justifying resources to legislative bodies;

  • conduct surveys to assist in determining program effectiveness, such as roadside sobriety surveys, speed surveys, license checks, belt use surveys, and surveys measuring public knowledge and attitudes about traffic enforcement programs; and

  • evaluate the effectiveness of services provided in support of priority traffic safety areas.