WHEREAS, law enforcement personnel are frequently first responders to traffic incidents and often act as scene commanders; and

WHEREAS, highway transportation incidents represent one of the leading causes of on-duty death and injury to first responders, including being struck by vehicles while working along the roadway or being exposed to unpredictable environmental factors; and

WHEREAS, traffic incidents often exacerbate traffic congestion and result in secondary vehicle crashes, an increased danger to the public, and a negative economic factor; and

WHEREAS, quick clearance of roadway incidents is important to preventing further incidents; and

WHEREAS, each law enforcement agency should decide upon the methodology to protect traffic incident scenes and clearance of those scenes without compromising the integrity of an investigation; and

WHEREAS, unplanned roadway events, staffing considerations, weather, terrain, and numerous other factors vary from incident to incident and make impractical typical applications, prescribed responses to, and mitigation of unplanned roadway incidents; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement agencies currently receive training in incident management, crash investigation, and roadway clearance; now, therefore, be it

WHEREAS, typical traffic incident management applications are rather specific illustrative templates that may be adapted to myriad situations; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) supports law enforcement agencies exploring the use of typical traffic incident management applications for unplanned traffic incidents, but opposes their inclusion in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to prevent their being interpreted as standards rather than as guidelines; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that the IACP encourages law enforcement agencies to commit sufficient resources to the planning and coordination process intended to aid in quick clearance strategies and traffic incident management.

Motorcycle Safety Enforcement Initiative Submitted by: Highway Safety Committee HSC.011.a09 WHEREAS, in 2008, 5,290 motorcyclists were killed in the United States, which is a 2.2 percent increase over 2007, and a 131 percent increase over 1998; and WHEREAS, in 2007, 28 percent of motorcycle rider [operator] fatalities in the United States had BAC levels of 0.08 g/dL or higher; and WHEREAS, one out of four motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes in 2007 was operating the motorcycle without a valid license at the time of the collision; and WHEREAS, wearing a DOT-compliant motorcycle helmet has been estimated to be 37 percent effective in preventing fatal head injuries to motorcyclists; and WHEREAS, enforcement is an essential component to a comprehensive motorcycle safety program; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) duly assembled at its 116th Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado supports efforts to increase motorcycle safety through increased enforcement efforts and the enactment of safety legislation such as all-rider motorcycle helmet legislation in all nations.

SUPPORT OF IGNITION INTERLOCKS

Submitted by: Highway Safety Committee

HSC.009.a08

WHEREAS, the resolution support for Increased Impaired-Driving Enforcement (HSC.014.a07),adopted at the 114th Annual IACP Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 16, 2007, indicates: [T]he International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) supports the use of technologies to prevent impaired drivers from operating vehicles, including the use of alcohol ignition interlocks; . . .;and

WHEREAS, ignition interlocks have been used as a means of controlling impaired driving since the 1980s; and

WHEREAS, the IACP and federal agencies and national organizations, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), The Century Council, the Distilled Spirits Council, the Governors Highway Safety Association and others, have pledged their support for the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADDs) Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving (CEDD); and

WHEREAS, MADD is promoting adoption of mandatory interlock laws by States for all (including first) offenders as part of its CEDD; and

WHEREAS, a summary of ten evaluations of ignition interlock programs in the United States and Canada indicated that interlocks reduce impaired driving recidivism at least by half, and sometimes more, in comparison to similar offenders without interlocks; and

WHEREAS, 46 states and the District of Columbia currently permit the use of ignition interlocks for some offenders and six states (New Mexico, Arizona, Louisiana, Washington, Nebraska, and Illinois) have enacted mandatory ignition interlock laws that cover all offenders; and

WHEREAS, according to NHTSA, there are currently about 133,000 interlocks in use (up from 100,000 in 2006), which represents approximately 13 percent of the number of annual impaired driving convictions and about 33 percent of the number of repeat impaired driving convictions; now, therefore, be it 20

RESOLVED that the IACP duly assembled at its 115th Annual Conference in San Diego, California fully supports and will advocate for the expanded and improved use of ignition interlocks to reduce the risk of recidivism among impaired driving offenders; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that the IACP joins with MADD and other organizations in urging states and other governing bodies to enact and/or strengthen ignition interlock laws and programs to make ignition interlocks mandatory for all (including first) impaired driving offenders.

WHEREAS, it is important to recognize drug impairment as a cause in fatal and serious collisions; and

WHEREAS, alcohol and drug-related crashes, deaths, and injuries continue to occur at an unacceptable rate; and

WHEREAS, data suggest that many alcohol-impaired drivers may be additionally impaired by drug use; and

WHEREAS, signs of drug effects in drivers may be overlooked by officers without proper training; and

WHEREAS, Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC), established with the support of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 1988 and managed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), is a structured program of assessment of suspected drug impaired individuals that systematically collects and documents the signs and symptoms of drug impairment; and

WHEREAS, there is a growing concern over the increased number of drug-related crashes on our roadways, and with the increased retirement of police officers trained as Drug Recognition Experts (DREs), additional DRE training and program expansions are needed; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the IACP joins with NHTSA in calling for DREs to be proactively utilized, whenever possible, in the investigation of all fatal and serious injury crashes; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP calls for the continuing need for DRE training and calls upon all jurisdictions to support and sufficiently fund this training; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP calls for a greater acceptance of DRE testimony throughout the legal system; and, therefore be it 22

FURTHER RESOLVED, that law enforcement agencies join the effort to reduce drug-impaired driving related deaths, injuries and property damage by making the detection, investigation, and prosecution of drug-impaired drivers a high priority; and by taking advantage of all opportunities to raise public awareness of the driving-under-the-influence-of-drugs issue through media statements, public service announcements, press releases, high-visibility enforcement and public information campaigns.

Submitted by: Highway Safety Committee

HSC.010.a08

SAFETEA-LU REAUTHORIZATION

Submitted by: Highway Safety Committee HSC.011.a08

WHEREAS, the 111th Congress will be considering reauthorization of SAFETEA-LU that determines multi-year funding of highway safety and construction programs; and

WHEREAS, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, traffic crashes remained in 2005 the leading cause of death for every age three through six and eight through 34, and the economic cost of crashes in the United States is approximately $230.6 billion in 2000 dollars; and

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) desires to work closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation and Congress to ensure that the reauthorization legislation provides sufficient funding to address the human factors that are the leading cause of traffic fatalities, injuries, and property damage; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the IACP duly assembled at its 115th Annual Conference in San Diego, California calls upon Congress, regarding the SAFETEAU-LU Reauthorization, to:

• To continue providing incentive grants to states enacting progressive highway safety legislation and to jurisdictions demonstrating positive reductions in deaths and injuries from traffic crashes;
• To provide funding, through National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) grants, to ensure the availability of driving simulators and other training programs to enhance the training of emergency vehicle operators police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians and to reduce thereby the growing number of crashes involving emergency vehicles;
• To require the involvement of traffic incident management stakeholders during the pre-design phase of new highway construction and reconstruction projects to ensure design standards meet law enforcement needs, such as those for shoulder or pull-off areas;
• To provide additional funding for communications interoperability among first responders police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians and department of transportation (DOT) vehicles and personnel;
• To increase funding that encourages holistic speed management approaches to include public policy, engineering/realistic speed limits, and strict and effective enforcement both by law enforcement and by the judiciary;
• To provide funding that encourages the increased use of ignition interlocks and of other technologies to combat impaired drivers;
• To continue research and development of pursuit termination technologies and to expedite their availability;
• To allow greater flexibility to address holistic needs problem identification- and performance-driven approaches to grant funding;
• To provide additional emphasis on real-time data collection and data-driven intelligent traffic policing;
• To place law enforcement and other agencies on equal footing with state DOTs in planning, developing, and implementing each state DOTs in planning, developing, and implementing each state Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP),to ensure the ultimate SHSP is representative of the needs of the entire jurisdiction; and
• To require every state DOT to allocate not less than one percent of the state Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding to law

NEW HIGHWAY SAFETY GOAL Submitted by: Highway Safety Committee HSC.012.a08

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported for 2005 that motor vehicle traffic crashes were the leading cause of death for every age 3 through 6 and 8 through 34, and that the annual economic cost of crashes in the United States is in excess of $230 billion; and WHEREAS, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) figures, motor vehicle fatalities decreased from 43,510 in 2005, to 42,642 in 2006; and the fatality rate fell from 1.47 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2005, to 1.41 per 100 million VMT in 2006; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Transportations current goal of reducing the highway fatality rate to 1.00 per 100 million VMT by Fiscal Year 2008 will not be achieved; and

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recognizes that success in implementing an aggressive highway safety goal is based in large part upon wide acceptance and enthusiastic support by the general public, media, and public/private institutions of highway safety goals; and

WHEREAS, statement of a safety goal in terms of actual number of lives saved will resonate with the public and highway safety organizations significantly more than the abstract notion of an exposure rate measure; and

WHEREAS, a significant number of highway safety organizations have recognized the value of this approach and have moved to the use of an absolute number of lives saved as their highway safety goal including in some cases the concept of a vision which encourages movement towards zero deaths on public highways; and

WHEREAS, the IACP acknowledges that this approach will be of great value to regaining positive momentum in improving highway safety; and

WHEREAS, more effective domestic and international safety laws, highly visible and sustained law enforcement efforts, new motor vehicle safety technologies, increased resources and improved highway infrastructure can move the United States and other countries in the direction of significantly reduced fatalities; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 115th Annual Conference in San Diego, California joins the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in adopting a national highway safety goal of halving fatalities over the next two decades, or by reducing fatalities by 1,000 per year; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that adoption of this goal be broadly communicated to key safety partner organizations, including the U.S. Department of Transportation and national transportation and highway safety organizations, so as to encourage acknowledgment and potential adoption of this goal by such partner organizations; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that this goal serve as a guide for the Administration, the Congress, States, Local Governments and other entities involved in highway safety as they work towards reauthorization of the SAFETEA-LU legislation expiring September 30, 2009.

Support of Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) Initiative

Submitted by: Highway Safety Committee

HSC.013.a08

WHEREAS, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2006, 4,995 persons were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving large trucks in the United States; and

WHEREAS, of the large trucks involved in the Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS)which covered single- and multi-vehicle fatal and injury crashes, large trucks were ascribed as the critical reason in 55 percent of those crashes; and

WHEREAS, of the large trucks involved in two-vehicle LTCCS crashes between one truck and one passenger vehicle (a car, van, pickup truck, or sport utility vehicle), large trucks were ascribed as the critical reason in 44 percent of those crashes; and

WHEREAS, the Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) initiative combines outreach, education, and evaluation with targeted high-visibility traffic enforcement activities to raise awareness among car and truck drivers about safe driving behaviors in an effort to reduce commercial motor vehicle-related crashes, fatalities, and injuries; and

WHEREAS, enforcement is an essential component to any comprehensive traffic safety program; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) encourages all law enforcement agencies to engage in enhanced high-visibility traffic enforcement; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that the IACP continues to support sustained high-visibility enforcement of traffic laws and encourages participation in TACT and state traffic enforcement campaigns to promote the safe interaction of cars and trucks and to reduce the number and severity of crashes involving large trucks.

SUPPORT OF AN INCREASED EFFORT TO MAXIMIZE SEAT BELT USE AMONG COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVERS

Submitted by: Highway Safety Committee

HSC.014.a08

WHEREAS, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2006, 22 percent of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers killed were unrestrained; and

WHEREAS, CMV drivers have lower observed seat-belt use rates than passenger car drivers; and

WHEREAS, an increased perception of the risk of enforcement is a means to increase seat-belt use for this group of drivers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) encourages all law enforcement agencies to engage in an enhanced effort to increase seat-belt use among CMV drivers; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that the IACP continues to support sustained high-visibility enforcement of seat-belt laws and encourages all agencies to participate in Click It or Ticket and state seat-belt mobilizations and campaigns that increase seat-belt use.

SUPPORT FOR THE FBIS REVISED REPORTING OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS KILLED AND ASSAULTED (LEOKA) DATA

Submitted by: Highway Safety Committee

HSC.015.a08

WHEREAS, every law enforcement agency is charged with the responsibility of protecting the life and property of its citizenry and community; and

WHEREAS, in order to fulfill their duties and responsibilities to their communities, law enforcement officers must first protect themselves; and

WHEREAS, over the last decade (1997-2006), 1,301 law enforcement officers were killed and 578,926 were assaulted while performing their official duties as law enforcement officers, and;

WHEREAS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program publishes an annual statistical report for the purpose of assisting law enforcement managers, trainers, and personnel in identifying training issues for the purpose of preventing deaths and/or serious injuries to law enforcement personnel; and

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has been for many years a strong proponent of the FBI's LEOKA Program; and

WHEREAS, the IACP Highway Safety Committee Law Enforcement Stops and Safety Subcommittee (LESSS) requested that LEOKA provide more information on law enforcement officers killed and injured accidentally, specifically during traffic stops and other roadside contacts; and

WHEREAS, in an effort to improve the quantity and quality of the data captured, the FBI has revised the current reporting forms utilized by law enforcement agencies to submit injury and death data; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the IACP, duly assembled at its 115th Annual Conference in San Diego, California, supports the implementation of the revised Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted reporting forms; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that the IACP reaffirms the importance for all law enforcement agencies to record and submit to the LEOKA Program all incidents involving both accidental and felonious deaths, as well as assaults, of law enforcement personnel.

WHEREAS, the leading killer of American children is traffic crashes, and despite strong laws in every state requiring children to be properly restrained in seat belts or car safety seats, six out of ten children who die in crashes are completely unrestrained; and

WHEREAS, clearly, the presence of child passenger safety laws by themselves are not enough to get children buckled up. Concentrated and highly visible enforcement of seat belt and child passenger safety laws has proven effective in increasing restraint use and saving hundreds of young lives; and

WHEREAS, during the two 1998 Operation ABC Mobilization, seat belt use increased by almost four percentage points, representing more than eight million more Americans who were prompted to buckle up - the largest increase in belt use in eight years. If these Americans continue to wear their seat belts, its estimated that 1,500 lives will be saved this year, and

WHEREAS, polls have repeatedly shown that the American public overwhelmingly supports, by a nine-to-one margin, strong enforcement of child passenger safety laws. The public believes society has a duty to protect children and ensure drivers take the necessary steps to keep children safe in motor vehicles; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, the members of the IACP support the adoption in each state of a policy of zero tolerance for unbuckled children; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police encourages all agencies to participate in the twice-yearly Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckle up Children, which helped get millions more Americans buckled up in 1998; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police supports the work of the Air Bag Seat Belt Safety Campaign and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to get more Americans to use seat belts.

WHEREAS, police have encountered unusual vehicle types operating on the highways; and

WHEREAS, the design/configuration of these vehicles appears to be contrary to existing federal regulations; and

WHEREAS, the design of some of the vehicles are not conducive to safety; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) contended both vehicle types were in compliance with these federal regulations; and

WHEREAS, in one instance, the FHWA issued an interpretation to the manufacturer approving the vehicle configuration, but never published the interpretation, or communicated it to enforcement; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the IACP encourages the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to regard safety as the primary consideration and seek input from enforcement when determining whether unusual vehicle designs/configurations comply with existing federal regulations, and to ensure decisions are communicated to enforcement.

WHEREAS, today, three times as many parents and caregivers are using child safety seats compared to fifteen years ago; and

WHEREAS, national statistics indicate that more than eighty-five percent of child safety seats are used incorrectly, or may not be the appropriate seat for the child or for the vehicle in which the child is being transported; and

WHEREAS, traffic crash statistics show that hundreds of children under the age of eight are killed annually as a result of being improperly restrained in a child safety seat or booster seat; and

WHEREAS, a heightened awareness of the need for the safe transportation of our most precious assets, our children, has created an increasingly demanding need to have more law enforcement officers trained in the field of child passenger safety; and

WHEREAS, as the public has high expectations of law enforcement for crime prevention, as well as injury prevention on the highways, a failure to address this crucial need would only serve to erode public confidence in law enforcement; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police challenges all law enforcement agencies to develop programs and strategies to heighten awareness of Child Passenger Safety to reduce incidents of injury and death of unrestrained children in motor vehicles. Those programs should include training and education through Public Service Announcements, as well as Child Safety seat clinics; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration be encouraged to develop incentive programs that provide additional highway safety funds for intensified education and training programs and enforcement initiatives, as well as promote and encourage aggressive public information and awareness campaigns; and that a multi-disciplinary approach requiring expertise from a number of public health and governmental agencies be encouraged to treat failure of motor operators to properly restrain children as a life threatening neglect of responsibility. Finally, copies of this resolution should be forwarded to the National Sheriffs' Association; National Safe Kids Coalition; the National Center for State Courts; and the National District Attorney’s Association.