2022 EHPD Safe Streets Initiative
East Hartford, CT - In the spring of 2022, the East Hartford Police Department endeavored to make a considerable impact on traffic safety in our Town. The action, the Safe Streets Traffic Initiative (SSTI), was in response to the noticeable increase in the number of serious injury accidents, fatal motor vehicle accidents, and aggressive and reckless drivers on our roadways. This was also in response to the significant number of citizen complaints concerning speeding, stop sign violations, and reckless driving throughout town. Although a nation-wide trend, our agency made it a priority to take an active role in both traffic enforcement and education and awareness as it relates to traffic safety.
The ultimate goal of this initiative was to change driving behavior and make our streets safer for all residents. At the same time, we wanted to ensure our enforcement efforts were conducted in a fair and equitable manner. To achieve this goal, we combined traditional traffic enforcement activities with extensive communication, education, and outreach to inform the public about our activities and about safe driving. The initiative began with media distributions regarding overall driving safety in April. Over the next four months, we focused on specific driving safety topics which included speeding, distracted driving, seatbelt use, and impaired driving. A combination of traditional media outlets, social media, and local resources were used to disseminate this information to the public. We also utilized portable speed/message boards in a variety of locations throughout town, and the message boards in the police department lobby and Alumni Park. The traffic enforcement efforts consisted of hiring additional officers for thirty-three (33) SSTI deployments between April 1, 2022 and August 31, 2022. This was coupled with two grant funded enforcement efforts; a Distracted Driving deployment (9 dates) in April, and a Click It or Ticket deployment (3 dates) in May and early June. Additionally, patrol officers were encouraged to focus on roadway safety issues during their normal shift hours.
SSTI Deployment Enforcement Totals (April 1, 2022 – August 31, 2022)
April May June July August Total
Infractions 434 419 304 231 357 1,745
Summons 122 158 106 102 107 595
Written 25 126 175 162 120 608
Verbal 134 135 143 119 110 641
No Action 8 13 7 7 10 45
Total Enforcement 723 851 735 621 704 3,634
MV Enforcement Three Year Comparison
2020 2021 2022 (Jan 1, 2022 - Oct 31, 2022)
Infractions 1,886 2,964 3,138
Summons 517 634 871
Written 514 123 723
Verbal 1,227 1,188 1,196
No Action 69 98 50
Vehicle Fled N/D 2 103
Total 4,244 5,062 6,081
Monthly Average 353 421 608
Accident Data 3-Year Comparison Full Year (January 1 – December 31)
2020 2021 2022 (Jan 1, 2022 - Oct 31, 2022)
No Injuries 822 1,014 714
Injuries 175 200 161
Fatalities 1 7 2
Total Accidents 998 1,221 877
Monthly Average 83 101 87
The traffic enforcement data revealed there were 3,634 motor vehicle stops during the initiative. During this time frame, 64 vehicles fled the stop and were not pursued by the officer. Officers made a total of 6,081 MV stops so far this year, January 1 – October 31, 2022, or an average of 608 stops per month. In comparison, 5,062 stops (Average 421 a month) were made in calendar year 2021 and 4,244 stops (Average 353 a month) in calendar year 2020. The data showed a significant increase in
motor vehicle stops and enforcement in 2022, and specifically during the duration of the Safe Streets Traffic Initiative. It is important to note there was a marked increase in written warnings from officers during the initiative which showed officers were focused on education and outreach rather than punitive enforcement actions.
The traffic accident data showed that during the SSTI timeframe, April 1, 2022 – August 31, 2022, there were 384 traffic accidents in town and no fatal accidents. During the same timeframe in 2021, there were 514 traffic accidents including three (3) fatal accidents. Expanding further, there were 1,221 traffic accidents in 2021, seven (7) of which were fatal. From January 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022 there were 875 traffic accidents and two (2) fatalities. We are currently on track to see over a 25% decrease in traffic accidents overall from last year, and a 70% decrease in the number of traffic related fatalities. The traffic accident data is promising and suggests the SSTI was successful in reducing the number of traffic accidents and fatalities on our roadways this year.
In response to the growing concerns regarding traffic related issues Nationally and in our own community, the East Hartford Police Department is delighted to announce that we are expanding our Traffic Division. Officer Mathew Tanner was recently appointed as the newest addition to the unit. Officer Tanner is a 7-year veteran of the police department who has always made motor vehicle enforcement a priority while on patrol. Officer Tanner is an exceptional addition to our traffic team, and he will play an integral role in our future traffic related initiatives.
The safety of our residents has always been and continues to be a priority. Our traffic unit, along with our patrol division, will continue to actively patrol our community to help make the roadways safer for all of our residents.