Designated traffic officers could save city thousands
This summer the Santa Monica Police Department will begin using a cadre of civilian officers to direct the city’s traffic.
While other police department employees will be available to help out when things become busy, the Traffic Services Department will begin deploying 16-18 officers a day to keep traffic moving throughout the city.
The switch will save the city thousands of dollars in overtime pay that police officers and other police department employees have been paid for directing traffic in previous years.
Police could not say specifically how much the new traffic control officers would save the city overtime pay, only that overtime pay was decreasing.
In 2000-2001, the police department spent about $1.1 million on overtime. But so far this year the department has spent $296,200 and next year it has budgeted $285,600.
“This is one of the ways the police department is trying to meet its goals on saving money,” said Lt. Frank Fabrega, an SMPD spokesman. “Any of those savings go back into the general fund for next year.”
The advantages are not only financial, Fabrega said. With the extra officers posted at problematic intersections, traffic jams can be addressed quickly.
For example, if an overheated vehicle brakes down and blocks traffic, it used to take 45 minutes to an hour for an officer to arrive on the scene and for a tow truck to remove the vehicle.
However, now with the traffic control officers on the scene, the whole procedure can be done in 10-15 minutes, said Don Williams, a traffic services supervisor.
In the past, the police department as a whole was charged with directing traffic. Employees — both sworn officers and trained civilians — were assigned traffic duty on an overtime basis.
A few years ago, the department decided to train its meter-checkers to direct traffic. The department’s name was changed to traffic services and beefed up by 10 new officers.
All of the employees in the traffic department had to undergo about six weeks of training and be able to direct traffic and write parking tickets.
Two weeks was spent in the classroom learning about the municipal code, the vehicle code, how to spot violations, distinguishing between makes and models of various vehicles, and learning the parameters of the city. Another three weeks was spent in the field, applying the classroom training.
“But just because they finished the program doesn’t mean their training is done,” said Williams. “Laws change and training has to be on-going in nature to address that.”
Police said a traffic problem they are finding is that people do not know where to go downtown when an emergency vehicle is trying to pass them. Officers say in that situation motorists can enter the designated bus lanes until the emergency vehicle passes and then get back into the roadway.
“We want residents, tourists and visitors to find traffic mobility to be a top priority in the city,” Fabrega said. “We want people to come to the city and be able to move around and not get stuck in gridlock traffic.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 7, 2002. Read the original PDF.