BREAKING NEWS: GPD Cracks Down on Red-light Violators in June.

Morning commuters saw an unmarked Greenwich Police car — not the typical Ford Crown Victoria, but a sleek black Dodge Charger — pull over a driver on the corner of East Elm and Mason Street shortly before 8 a.m. today.   Other unmarked police vehicles, sedans as well as SUVs, used by the GPD Traffic Enforcement Unit were also seen around our Greenwich this morning.

Given that Greenwich residents voice concerns to GPD about speeding and other traffic violations more than any other concerns, the GPD some time ago instituted the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program or “S.T.E.P.”

S.T.E.P. is run out of the GPD Traffic Enforcement Unit, headed by Lt. Timothy D. Berry.

In June, S.T.E.P. is targeting drivers who run red lights.  Violations carry a $124 fine.  According to Lt. Berry, “a large number of crashes seem to be caused by drivers disobeying traffic control signals.”

Last month the GPD focused their efforts on enforcing the seat-belt laws here in Connecticut in conjunction with the Nationwide “Click it or Ticket campaign.”  The department wrote 428 seat-belt citations during the month of May.

According to a GPD press release, “the citations were written all across the Town, but the focus of the Traffic Enforcement Unit was Sound Beach Ave.  A pre-survey conducted before the initiative showed a 78% compliance rate. The post survey, conducted today, showed a 95 % compliance rate of operators wearing their seat-belts. The effort is considered a success. During the month of May 2008 225 motor vehicle accidents were reported on Town roads. For the same period this year, only 177 accidents were reported, which is a 21% decrease for the month of May.”