If you think you’ve seen an increase in traffic enforcement on the city’s major thoroughfares in the past weeks, your eyes are not deceiving you. Corpus Christi Police Department Traffic Officers are focusing traffic enforcement in those areas where speeding and other traffic violations have resulted in rising crash numbers.
Following the same Comp Stat philosophy that attempts to identify increased crime trends and patterns and then directs officers to those neighborhoods; the increased traffic enforcement initiative is directing traffic officers to those areas of the city where officers have identified an increased number of accidents, multiple complaints from the public, or just obvious visual evidence of speeding, such as the freeway system.
Newly appointed Chief Simpson became alarmed at the high number of speeders and traffic fatalities soon after taking over. Just driving around town to familiarize himself with the city, Chief Simpson noticed a high number of drivers obviously exceeding the speed limit, tailgating other drivers, changing lanes without signaling and committing other dangerous traffic infractions-the type of infractions that frequently lead to crashes. Simpson noted that the 35 traffic fatalities last year far exceeded the city’s total number of homicides.
Crash statistics from the first three months of this year support Chief Simpson’s position. Compared to the same three-month time period, total crashes are up approximately 7%, from 2224 in 2011 to 2378 in 2012. Although alcohol related crashes are down 14% from the same time period last year, the percentage of alcohol related traffic fatalities is currently at 37%, up from 29% last year. DWI arrests, however, show a 15% decrease since last year, from 318 to 270.
Based on these numbers and his own anecdotal evidence, Chief Simpson directed his Traffic Division to come up with a plan to bring the numbers down. The increased traffic enforcement initiative includes several tactics, including enlisting the assistance of patrol officers to conduct traffic enforcement on their beats for short periods, increased radar enforcement on the freeways during rush hours, and the use of “decoy” cars to slow traffic. Officers will continue to change tactics to nab speeders until the crash and fatality numbers begin to show a significant, long-term decline.
This is only the beginning of a long-term sustained plan to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and crashes on our city’s streets. Traffic and Patrol Officers have been directed to take a “zero tolerance” approach to speeders and motorists committing moving violations. The best way to avoid being cited is to simply slow down, watch the speed limit and obey all traffic laws. The Corpus Christi Police Department reminds you to “Slow Down. The life you save may be your own.”
CCPD Blotter 
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