Below is text from a recent press release issued by the Milton PD and Chief Jerry Schuetz:
The Milton Police Department began deploying special traffic enforcement patrol assignments in February of 2010. The deployments are in response to a review of 2009 annual report data which indicated that there were 91 traffic accidents in Milton. Officers and administrators will be dedicating specific segments of their work shift to engage exclusively in traffic enforcement. Even the Chief is out on patrol, issuing traffic citations and warnings.
As we reviewed 2009 numbers, I noticed that in a variety of areas we were a very reactive agency. 2009 also had several more large scale incidents in terms of burglaries and drug investigations that forced officers away from traffic enforcement and our response to traffic related incidents was more reactive not proactive. Some personnel changes also required officers to be off the street conducting interviews and background investigations that impacted patrol time as well. Proactive traffic enforcement was not emphasized as much as it could or should be due to some of these issues that taxed our resources. In 2010, now at fully authorized staffing levels, we have vowed to improve traffic and code enforcement efforts because we can and will do better. 91 traffic accidents in Milton is too high of a number for a community our size. We are asking for drivers to drive more safely, slowing speeds and coming to complete stops at stop signs as speed, failure to yield the right of way and failure to obey traffic signs or signals were the most frequent causes of accidents in Milton in 2009.
We intend to notify the public that our Officers will be out to enforce traffic laws in greater force and with greater visibility than they saw in 2009. Our goal is not to write more tickets, but to slow traffic down and make sure traffic laws are being followed in Milton so that we can reduce the number of traffic accidents we have in our community in 2010.
