New Report Helps Law Enforcement, Community Leaders Improve Public’s Engagement in Making Roads Safer
Responsibility.org and Safe Night launch comprehensive report to improve community engagement in traffic safety
WASHINGTON – Responsibility.org and Safe Night, LLC today announced “Proactive Engagement in Traffic Enforcement and Safety,” a comprehensive report providing specific recommendations to state and local law enforcement agencies to more effectively engage with communities to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities.
"Our goal is to provide law enforcement agencies with a clear roadmap for meaningful and proactive community engagement. Establishing trust with community stakeholders is a crucial initial step in launching successful initiatives, garnering ongoing support, and collaboratively reducing traffic crashes and fatalities," stated Molly C. Mastoras, MA, LPC, president of Safe Night.
The report provides a foundational model for purposeful, proactive engagement to help reach more community stakeholders and builds trust in the community. The report also includes recommendations for State Highway Safety Offices, State Departments of Transportation, and the National Highway Safety Traffic Safety Administration to support proactive engagement initiatives.
The report provides eight specific recommendations to law enforcement:
- Proactively engage with community stakeholders, such as child protective services, mental health services, substance abuse services, victim-witness offices and advocates, the courts, and community groups;
- Implement and prioritize problem-oriented policing;
- Incorporate public participation;
- Reprioritize the use of police officers’ “uncommitted time”;
- Reasonable suspicion for consent vehicle searches and supporting documentation;
- Engage with other law enforcement agencies;
- Enhance NHTSA’s Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety “High Visibility Engagement” through cultural competence and relationship-based policing;
- Produce community engagement plan and implement a strategic management plan.
Responsibility.org, a national not-for-profit funded by leading distilled spirits companies to eliminate underage drinking, end drunk and impaired driving, and promote a lifetime of responsible alcohol choices, led the effort for the creation of this report and recruited Safe Night to complete it. Safe Night assists communities in developing collaborative programs focused on the co-production of safety among municipal agencies and community stakeholders using an innovative relationship-based model.
According to Responsibility.org’s Senior Vice President of Traffic Safety Darrin T. Grondel, Ed.D., this report’s timely recommendations for law enforcement agencies prioritize engagement as a strategy to achieve long-term sustainable safety outcomes.
“As a retired Washington State Patrol Commander and former State Highway Safety Office director, I know firsthand the importance of traffic enforcement and community trust,” Grondel said. “Unfortunately, there’s no single, simple solution to fostering that trust, therefore, this comprehensive report’s recommendations can help law enforcement create long-term change in their respective communities.”
View the full report here. Learn more at Responsibility.org and Safe-Night.com.
###
About Responsibility.org
Responsibility.org is a national not-for-profit that aims to eliminate drunk driving and work with others to end all impaired driving, eliminate underage drinking, and empower adults to make a lifetime of responsible alcohol choices as part of a balanced lifestyle. Responsibility.org is funded by the following distillers: Bacardi USA, Inc.; Beam Suntory Inc.; Brown-Forman; Campari Group; Constellation Brands; DIAGEO; Edrington, Mast-Jägermeister US, Inc.; Moët Hennessy USA; Ole Smoky, LLC; Pernod Ricard USA; and William Grant & Sons. For more than 30 years, Responsibility.org has transformed countless lives through programs that bring individuals, families, and communities together to inspire a lifetime of responsible alcohol choices. To learn more, please visit www.Responsibility.org.
About Safe Night, LLC
Founded in 2018, Safe Night, LLC, is a consulting firm that provides solutions to increase trust, safety, and economic viability. Safe Night works with police departments, local and state enforcement agencies, economic development, business improvement districts, private businesses, community groups, and public/private partnerships to improve the safety and vibrancy of communities.