Delaware News

Seaford Police Department Non-traditional Distracted Driving Operation a Success

Department of Safety and Homeland Security | Office of Highway Safety | Sussex County | Date Posted: Thursday, August 1, 2019



Seaford Police Department
Phone: (302) 629-6644
Address: 300 Virginia Avenue, Seaford, DE 19973
Fax: (302) 629-0672
EMERGENCY 911

 

Seaford Police Department Non-traditional Distracted Driving Operation a Success

 

08/01/2019

 

In June and July of 2019, the Seaford Police Department, in conjunction with the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, conducted ‘Operation Cool Down,’ a non-traditional distracted driving operation throughout the city of Seaford.

 

“The mission of this operation is to make the roadways in the city of Seaford a safer place to travel,” Master Corporal Eric Chambers, Public Information Officer, Seaford Police Department.

 

During ‘Operation Cool Down,’ non-traditional policing methods were utilized to include plain-clothes officers operating in unmarked vehicles such as family-style sedans, dump trucks, and utility vehicles. Upon seeing a violation, the plain-clothes officers would then contact uniformed officers participating in the operation who would then conduct traffic stops in marked vehicles to issue citations. Most successful times for enforcement citations occurred between 4 PM and 8 PM every day.

 

“The Delaware Office of Highway Safety is pleased to support the Seaford Police Department’s non-distracted driving initiative, ‘Operation Cool Down,’ to enforce cell phone violations. With increased travel during the summer season, it’s imperative that drivers focus on the road and not the feed. Seaford Police Department has been a great partner in enforcing and educating the public using covert spotter techniques to conduct a successful operation,” Distracted Driving Program Manager, Sarah Cattie, Office of Highway Safety.

 

Totals for nine patrols over two months are listed below:
Total Cell Phone Citations: 114
Other Traffic Citations: 89
Seatbelt Citations: 41
Wanted Person Apprehensions: 2
Child Restraint Citations: 2
Drug Arrests: 2
Speeding Citations: 1

 

 

This operation was in response to over 80 calls for service involving distracted driving complaints in a three-month time frame. 67 of those complaints involved speeding/aggressive driving and/or distracted driving. Other complaints involved passing stopped school buses. In the same three-month period there were 165 complaints involving motor vehicle collisions on major roadways in the city of Seaford.

 

Master Corporal Eric Chambers

Public Information Officer

Seaford Police Department

Eric.Chambers@CJ.State.de.us

 

Marketing Specialist Cynthia Cavett

Public Information Officer

Office of Highway Safety

Cynthia.Cavett@delaware.gov

 

About the Delaware Office of Highway Safety
The Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is committed to improving the safety of Delaware’s motoring public by focusing on behavioral traffic safety issues such as impaired driving, seat belt use, speeding, child passenger safety, pedestrian and bicycle safety, motorcycle safety, and teen driving issues. FAQs can be found at ArriveAliveDE.com.

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Seaford Police Department Non-traditional Distracted Driving Operation a Success

Department of Safety and Homeland Security | Office of Highway Safety | Sussex County | Date Posted: Thursday, August 1, 2019



Seaford Police Department
Phone: (302) 629-6644
Address: 300 Virginia Avenue, Seaford, DE 19973
Fax: (302) 629-0672
EMERGENCY 911

 

Seaford Police Department Non-traditional Distracted Driving Operation a Success

 

08/01/2019

 

In June and July of 2019, the Seaford Police Department, in conjunction with the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, conducted ‘Operation Cool Down,’ a non-traditional distracted driving operation throughout the city of Seaford.

 

“The mission of this operation is to make the roadways in the city of Seaford a safer place to travel,” Master Corporal Eric Chambers, Public Information Officer, Seaford Police Department.

 

During ‘Operation Cool Down,’ non-traditional policing methods were utilized to include plain-clothes officers operating in unmarked vehicles such as family-style sedans, dump trucks, and utility vehicles. Upon seeing a violation, the plain-clothes officers would then contact uniformed officers participating in the operation who would then conduct traffic stops in marked vehicles to issue citations. Most successful times for enforcement citations occurred between 4 PM and 8 PM every day.

 

“The Delaware Office of Highway Safety is pleased to support the Seaford Police Department’s non-distracted driving initiative, ‘Operation Cool Down,’ to enforce cell phone violations. With increased travel during the summer season, it’s imperative that drivers focus on the road and not the feed. Seaford Police Department has been a great partner in enforcing and educating the public using covert spotter techniques to conduct a successful operation,” Distracted Driving Program Manager, Sarah Cattie, Office of Highway Safety.

 

Totals for nine patrols over two months are listed below:
Total Cell Phone Citations: 114
Other Traffic Citations: 89
Seatbelt Citations: 41
Wanted Person Apprehensions: 2
Child Restraint Citations: 2
Drug Arrests: 2
Speeding Citations: 1

 

 

This operation was in response to over 80 calls for service involving distracted driving complaints in a three-month time frame. 67 of those complaints involved speeding/aggressive driving and/or distracted driving. Other complaints involved passing stopped school buses. In the same three-month period there were 165 complaints involving motor vehicle collisions on major roadways in the city of Seaford.

 

Master Corporal Eric Chambers

Public Information Officer

Seaford Police Department

Eric.Chambers@CJ.State.de.us

 

Marketing Specialist Cynthia Cavett

Public Information Officer

Office of Highway Safety

Cynthia.Cavett@delaware.gov

 

About the Delaware Office of Highway Safety
The Office of Highway Safety (OHS) is committed to improving the safety of Delaware’s motoring public by focusing on behavioral traffic safety issues such as impaired driving, seat belt use, speeding, child passenger safety, pedestrian and bicycle safety, motorcycle safety, and teen driving issues. FAQs can be found at ArriveAliveDE.com.

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , , , , , , , , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.