Traffic Division
Traffic Enforcement Unit
2005 End of Year Traffic Safety Summary
2005 Summary Neighborhood Traffic Unit DUI Educational Programs Community Dividends
In 2002 the City of Fresno lost 52 of its citizens in traffic collisions. Since that time, fatal collisions are down 21.2%, which means that there are 39 families who did not have to bury a loved one due to a traffic fatality. This is due to significantly increased enforcement and educational efforts, as well as additional funding. In 2003 Chief Dyer orchestrated an innovative citation revenue sharing program between the City and County governments to provide funding for traffic safety.
Since then, the Fresno Police Department’s Traffic Bureau has grown from twenty-two officers to eighty-six officers, who have made significant improvements in traffic safety in our community. The Traffic Bureau has area traffic units that handle collisions and traffic complaints in each of the five policing districts. There are 20 “Metro” traffic officers who issue citations on Fresno’s most collision-prone streets. These officers do not handle calls for service, as their main goal is to change poor driver behavior and prevent collisions before they occur. Throughout the evening hours there is a 32 officer “Neighborhood Traffic Unit” that targets impaired drivers and works special operations as needed.
Last year, the Traffic Bureau conducted 94 impaired driver checkpoints, and arrested 2,760 impaired drivers. Our agency also impounded over 26,000 vehicles! Nearly 14,000 of those vehicles were from drivers driving without a license, and slightly over 5,000 for driving on a suspended license. Unlicensed drivers are four times more likely to cause a fatal collision than a licensed driver, and six times more likely to cause an injury collision.
The Fresno Police Department has received significant recognition for its improvements in traffic safety. The Traffic Bureau’s traffic safety programs have received three consecutive first place finishes in the International Associations of Chiefs of Police competition at the state level, as well as first place at the national competition this year. In 2005 the Traffic Bureau won the California Highway Patrol’s Commissioner’s Award for best traffic program in California.