Evaluation of Community-Oriented Enforcement Demonstration Projects

This project evaluated the effectiveness of law enforcement agency use of a data-driven approach to traffic enforcement supported by community-oriented policing to improve traffic safety and increase community support for traffic law enforcement. The evaluation included assessments of two demonstrations: one focused on improving seat belt use and one on reducing alcohol-impaired driving. The seat belt use demonstration took place in Norman, Oklahoma, with the control site of Broken Arrow. The alcohol-impaired driving demonstration took place in Joplin, Missouri, with a control site in Cape Girardeau. Both 15-month programs began in 2018 and ended in 2019. Process evaluations documented program implementation, including enforcement and public outreach activities. The evaluation of program effectiveness used public opinion surveys, and seat belt observations for the seat belt use program, conducted before, during, and after program implementation in the program sites as well as in control sites. Community-oriented enforcement, as implemented in these two demonstrations, was not effective in building community support for traffic safety enforcement or increasing the perceived risk of enforcement needed for high-visibility enforcement to be effective. The process evaluations suggested factors that may have resulted in the lack of strong buy-in among community partners. The failure to increase the perceived risk of being punished for illegal behavior may also have resulted from enforcement focused in areas selected by the Data-Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety model rather than suggesting everyone in the community was at increased risk during the program, as well as resource issues.

• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/66444
• Corporate Authors:

  TransAnalytics, LLC

  Quakertown, PA  United States  18951

  Highway Safety Network

  Pottsville, Pennsylvania  United States  17901

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Decina, Lawrence E
  • Alonge, Mark
• Publication Date: 2023-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Technical Report
• Features: Appendices; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 64p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Communities; Traffic law enforcement; Traffic safety
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01874969
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT HS 813 291
• Contract Numbers: DTNH2215C00024
• Files: HSL, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 27 2023 9:34AM