Armed with federal grant, New London police tracking down speeders
New London — Moved by the December 2015 hit-and-run crash that left a Connecticut College student dead, the New London Police Department in 2016 issued more than twice as many speeding citations as in the previous year.
Now, members of the department are hoping a recently awarded Major City Speed Enforcement grant will bolster those efforts.
Like others, the aim of the targeted federal grant is to reduce crashes that lead to injuries and fatalities. It’s administered by the state Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office.
In this case, only certain departments, as determined by the Highway Safety Office, were eligible to apply for the up to $50,000 in funding for speed enforcement. To qualify, a department has to be in a city with relatively high traffic volume and population and relatively low posted speed limits, according to DOT spokesman Kevin Nursick.
Nursick said not all departments take the full amount. Some may have manpower issues or wish to devote their resources elsewhere. Other departments, upon learning they’re eligible, turn the opportunity down.
In fiscal year 2016, for example, three departments — Stamford, New Haven and Hartford — and the Connecticut State Police participated. Three others, including New London, opted not to.
This year, however, eight departments signed on: Danbury, Enfield, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, New Haven, New London and Waterbury.
New London's award? $49,650.
“The city hasn’t had a targeted (speeding) enforcement grant like this in a number of years,” said acting Chief Peter Reichard, explaining that his department is obligated to provide a 25 percent match.
According to UConn’s Connecticut Crash Data Repository, the City of New London, not including Interstate 95, saw 235 speed-related crashes — or crashes that included speeding, racing, driving too fast for conditions or following too closely — in 2014. Such crashes increased to 248 in 2016 — a 5.5 percent hike.
In its grant application, the department identified state Route 32 and Bank, Colman and Williams streets as the roadways most susceptible to these types of crashes. UConn data corroborate that.
Police also included data about how many speeding citations they’ve handed out: 240 in 2014; 302 in 2015; and 747 in 2016.
But tickets, Reichard said, aren’t the only effort police have made since the death of 20-year-old Anique Ashraf.
Officers worked with Conn College to acquire speed trailers to be stationed primarily on Route 32, for example. Police have since used them to gather data about how fast the average driver travels through the area.
City officials also are working with the state DOT to discuss a possible reconfiguration of the roadway system from Hodges Square into Waterford. Part of one such possible project, for example, would improve the sidewalks on Williams Street from Briggs Street to the Waterford town line.
During the grant period, officers sporadically will be stationed across the city, often focusing on the areas deemed hot spots. Police are scheduled to continue their enhanced speed enforcement through Sept. 5.
Reichard said it's beneficial to work with the DOT, which can be a good partner not only in figuring out problem areas and ways to fix them, but also in seeing those fixes through.
"The goal is all about public safety," he said. "We want to have people lower their speeds to speeds that are reasonable and at or under the limit so we can prevent accidents."
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