How many times have your creative thought processes been temporarily interrupted by an irate citizen who must, I really mean must speak to you, the Chief of Police, regarding an "ongoing" speeding problem in their neighborhood? After spending some time talking with them, you soon realize that the citizen's concerns are based on a belief that speeding on his/her street is surpassed only by speeds of vehicles in Speedway, Indiana, on Memorial Day. Quite possibly, there may be some misconceptions about the actual speed of the vehicles on this citizen's street.

In the past we here in Vernon Hills would have a squad work some directed radar enforcement in the area for a couple of days, and when few (if any) citations were issued, we would declare the crisis over, and have the Patrol of Traffic Division return to normal activities. In keeping with today's law enforcement focus on "Community Oriented Policing," we have embarked over the last two years on a program geared to involve the citizens of the community. Is speeding in their neighborhoods a serious problem that necessitates police intervention or just a perceived problem which in reality would only result in a cosmetic response and be a misapplication of police resources?

We call this program our "Citizens Speed Control Program." It has as its foundation the assumption that citizens of a particular neighborhood, who are genuinely interested in helping law enforcement in the community deal with the speeding problem, will be willing to assist by spending time collecting data on the speeds of vehicles in the neighborhood. Armed with this empirical data, police administrations can make a more intelligent decision on whether or not to direct resources to deal with the speeding problem in a particular area. It should be pointed out that these citizens with radar units receive adequate training in the safe operation of the radar unit, and at no time are allowed to take any enforcement action in conjunction with their duties/data collection activities. The following is a synopsis of the program.

VERNON HILLS POLICE DEPARTMENT CITIZEN SPEED CONTROL PROGRAM GOAL To reduce speeds on neighborhood streets and increase the awareness of citizens regarding traffic safety and speeding.

Process

Use citizens to monitor and record speeds of vehicles on neighborhood streets. By establishing when the speeding problem is occurring, the Police Department can direct aggressive enforcement during those time periods.

Using citizens to record speeds with a radar unit will help educate the citizens on speeding laws, radar and the limits of police enforcement. The program will free police officers so they can be utilized at the optimum times for aggressive enforcement. It will alert drivers of speeding vehicles to the danger of their actions and will make them aware that their actions are being monitored.

Program

1. Log time and speed of vehicles to determine whether there is a speeding problem, and when it is most prevalent. If the Vernon Hills Traffic Enforcement Unit determines from the accrued data that there is a speeding problem, aggressive enforcement can be directed there.

2. Send educational letters to the registered owners of vehicles determined to be driven at an excessive speed.

One of the most frequent requests to the Vernon Hills Police Department is the need to address speeding along residential streets. The Citizen Speed Control Program has been established to meet the needs of our community members.

The Citizen Speed Control Program contributes to public awareness by involving them in recording of speeds on neighborhood streets in order to determine if and when a speeding problem exists. Once this has been done, the Police Department can focus its resources to address the problem. It is a program in which concerned community members play an active role in helping solve speeding problems in their neighborhood.

November 1996 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 23

How The Program Works

Community members desiring to take part in this program notify the Vernon Hills Police Department Traffic Unit, expressing their desire to initiate the Citizens Speed Control program on their street.

Community members wanting to proceed with the program are briefed on the requirements expected of them such as proper data collection, use of equipment and the proper behavior of the participants while conducting data collection. A radar unit is loaned out to community members, free of charge for a one-week period.

Community member(s) schedule data collection during various days and times they believe speeding to be occurring. The community member is responsible for operating the radar unit and recording the required vehicle information. Preferably this is done by two people in order to obtain accurate information.

Once all data collection is complete, the radar unit is returned to the Vernon Hills Police Department along with all completed forms.

The Police Department may take the license numbers of speeding vehicles and access data from the Secretary of State's office. This will be cross-checked with the description of the vehicle documented by the community member.

A letter from the Vernon Hills Police Department may be sent to the registered owner(s) of all matched vehicles. The letter advises them of the observed violation and asks them to encourage drivers of their vehicle to drive at or below the speed limit when traveling on neighborhood streets.

The Vernon Hills Police Department may also use the collected information to direct special enforcement by Vernon Hills officers on those streets.

Speed limits are established with the safety of both the residents and motorists in mind.

The CITIZEN SPEED CONTROL PROGRAM educates drivers in the concern of community members regarding speeding vehicles. It encourages safe driving when traveling on neighborhood streets.

If you or your neighborhood are interested in the CITIZEN SPEED CONTROL PROGRAM, or have any questions or comments, please call the Vernon Hills Police Department Traffic Enforcement Unit at: 362-4449.

This is a public awareness program, and notices sent to registered owners of speeding vehicles do not constitute a notice of violation, go on driving records, or impose a fine.

As a result of this program, over 50 citizens have utilized the hand-held radar units. We have found that there is an inordinate number of vehicles speeding in some sections of the community. But we have also learned that in a number of areas, what was perceived as speeding was in fact not excessive at all. The program has been a community relations success, and, as a matter of fact, through some national media coverage that was directed at the program, several communities as far away as New Jersey and New York have initiated similar programs.

The bottom line is that getting citizens involved in the operation of their police department really works. It allows members of the community to better know their police officers, and to understand what officers do during their tours of duty. The officers get to know the citizens better. I really believe that both the citizens and the police officers feel that the neighborhood is working for the common good of the community to reduce speeding in residential neighborhoods. Applying community oriented policing concepts to the community is a step in the right direction. Try it, you and your community may like it! •

Page 24 / Illinois Municipal Review / November 1996