Traffic tickets have indeed more than doubled, if not quadrupled, in the Minneapolis Police Department's (MPD) Traffic Unit. However, this increase is not seen throughout the department as a whole. As the architect for a larger MPD Traffic Unit, I established its' mission to keep the streets and roadways of Minneapolis safe and secure. To that end, Chief Robert K. Olson and the city council approved an expansion of the MPD Traffic Unit.
Each year there are over 15,000 reported accidents in Minneapolis. The yearly economic impact to the city and its citizens is approximately $150,000,000. Approximately 30% of reported accidents are Hit & Runs. Focused and aggressive traffic enforcement reduces the number of injuries and fatalities, the end result of traffic accidents. As a by-product, directed traffic enforcement reduces speeds on the roadways. It is no coincidence that the traffic unit expansion coincided with the city 's' budget woes. But to think that traffic tickets can fund the city out of a finical shortfall is folly. Last year, MPD generated nearly $3.125 million dollars to the city's general fund as a result of criminal fines, licensing violations and traffic tickets. While this figure is significant, it is a small portion of the nearly $100 million dollar police budget. The expansion of the Traffic Unit is expected to double the number of that unit's DWI arrests. Nearly every DWI is litigated and with 200-projected new DWI cases a year, the city attorney's expenses may well offset any financial gains by MPD. As an aside; for those who believe that the higher speed limits on Hiawatha Avenue will result in "decriminalization" or a reduction of speeding along the avenue, it has not. This weekend I worked along Hiawatha Ave as part of a Safe and Sober detail (DWI suppression). Average speeds in the 40 MPH zone were clocked at 52 MPH and above. Some were as high as 25 MPH over the speed limit. I can assure you, these speed violators were not neglected. Traffic enforcement in the "hood" is a great idea. It works. Just ask your precinct commanders to use this strategy. Lt. Gregory W. Reinhardt Minneapolis Police Department CODEFOR Unit Formally Commander of the MPD Traffic Unit TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
