High Visibility Enforcement
So many police departments, fire departments, and other emergency services rely on supplementary funding in order to be able to cover the costs of much-needed programs that their budgets won’t be able to cover. This can include programs like providing additional services for victims, being able to purchase extra technology that will assist in their work or even funding additional civilian job positions within their departments. Recently, the Bradenton Police Department applied for and received a grant for a High Visibility Enforcement Program.
What is a High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) program?
High Visibility Enforcement is: “is a universal traffic safety approach designed to create deterrence and change unlawful traffic behaviors. HVE combines highly visible and proactive law enforcement targeting a specific traffic safety issue. Law enforcement efforts are combined with visibility elements and a publicity strategy to educate the public and promote voluntary compliance with the law.
The Bradenton Police Department is partnering with the Florida Department of Transportation, and the overall goal of this program is to increase pedestrian and bicyclist safety through the education and enforcement provided for in this program.
The city has several high-collision areas and these funds will be allocated to post officers working overtime hours in those areas with the goal of decreasing the number of incidents. The enforcement of traffic laws in those areas and the enforcement will hopefully help overall. Several locations have been chosen for these extra officers:
- 1st Street (West and East) from Manatee Avenue to 17th Avenue West
- Cortez Road West from 43rd Street to 51st Street,
- 14th Street West from 17th Avenue to 22nd Avenue Drive
- 8th Avenue West from 9th Street to 14th Street
All of these locations were chosen because they have high collision rates and they have seen an increased number of incidents. The Bradenton Police Department hopes that at the end of this program there will a notable decrease in the number of collisions and accident reports, and a shift in the amount of those incidents overall.