By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
For the fourth straight year, Dowagiac Police Department earned the (2007) Award for Excellence in Traffic City from the Office of Highway Safety Planning, AAA and the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police.
The award, presented at Monday night's City Council meeting by Mayor Don Lyons to Sgt. Steve Grinnewald, who oversees traffic safety programs for the department, with Chief Tom Atkinson looking on, recognizes the outstanding commitment the winning law enforcement agencies make to overall traffic safety.
There are six categories from small to large for local law enforcement and one for county sheriff offices and the state police.
Winners of MACP/AAA/OHSP Traffic Safety Awards must demonstrate a convincing commitment to traffic safety within their communities to be eligible.
Programs are judged on four components:
The scope and duration of the project.
The complexity or difficulty of the project.
The innovation involved.
The results achieved.
The city police force emphasized education and traffic enforcement in 2007 by partnering with Wimberley Auto Group and Dowagiac Middle School to sponsor a traffic safety poster contest for seventh and eighth grade students.
Motorists "caught" exhibiting safe driving habits such as wearing seat belts and using child safety seats were issued free food coupons instead of citations.
The Police Department joined with the newly-formed Cass County Safe Kids chapter and assisted with three child car seat check events within the county.
Officers participated in the national traffic safety enforcement campaigns for seat belt use and drunk driving enforcement, along with a countywide grant administered from the OHSP through the Cass County Sheriff's Office.
These activities accounted for 263 traffic stops, 161 traffic citations issued, 30 misdemeanor arrests, six drunken driving arrests and six felony arrests.
The department hosted a class sponsored by AARP for elderly drivers in the community at the council chamber in City Hall.
A survey was conducted on seat belt use in Dowagiac last March and again in October 2007.
Due to its efforts, the department saw a 13.4-percent increase in seat belt usage during that time period.
City revenues are running more than $95,000 in the red.
See why, page 4.