The Walpole Police Department is proud to announce that it has be awarded an $11,400 grant, courtesy of the Massachusetts Governor's Highway Safety Bureau. This year, Walpole was able to secure funding for traffic enforcement initiatives, as well as education and equipment funds.
$8,400 of the grant will be used to fund special traffic enforcement initiatives, broken down into three (3) specific areas of concern, over six (6) separate mobilizations.
- This mobilization is geared to raise awareness of the importance of wearing seat belts. The first year of the campaign raised safety belt use 11% to a historical high of 62%. These will be conducted from November 15-28, 2004 and then again on May 13 - June 5, 2005 .
- This mobilization is focused on reducing impaired driving among motorists using high visibility enforcement. The goal is to create a clear and united message that impaired driving is a serious crime that will not be tolerated in any community. These will be conducted from December 17 - January 3, 2005 , July 1-17, 2005 and again on August 26 - September 11, 2005 .
- This mobilization is to address speeding and aggressive driving, including red light running. Aggressive driving is a growing and dangerous traffic issue, usually representing a combination of unsafe and unlawful driving actions that demonstrate a conscious and willful disregard for the safety of others. It is becoming a growing source of fatalities and injuries on our roadways. This will be conducted from April 7-17, 2005 .
The Walpole Police Department will be participating in all six (6) of these mobilizations. Special enforcement units will be assigned to focus specifically on these goals. The hope is to make the streets of Walpole , and it's motorists, safer.
The Walpole Police Department will also be awarded $3,000 for equipment. The money will be spent on specific traffic equipment to be used to increase the safety of our roadways. Some examples would be:
- A speed trailer to target high speed trouble areas in town to help reduce speeds.
- Pedestrian crosswalk signs, to clearly mark crosswalks around town making them more visible, and increase safety for pedestrians.
- Radar units, either mobile or in-cruiser, to allow officers to effectively enforce speed limits around town.
These are just a few examples among the endless possibilities, however, the Walpole Police Department is excited to be awarded these funds to purchase equipment that will help keep our streets safe.
Officers Brian Becker and David Sullivan were around town recently, promoting seatbelt safety awareness. Made possible by the hugely successful Click-It-Or-Ticket Campaign, they were armed with informational pamphlets and a banner to help promote the importance of wearing your seatbelt. Citizens with questions or concerns, as well as parents trying to teach their children, were free to come up and speak with the officers.
If you missed your chance, don't worry. The Walpole Police Department will be out many more times this summer promoting this important message. You'll be able to check us out at the Village Fair, among other local events, so keep your eyes peeled.
