--- title: "Speeding in West Division" type: "pdf" year: "1996" canonical: "/projects/734" --- # 1996 HERMAN GOLDSTEIN EXCELLENCE IN PROBLE.. WEST TRAFFIC DIVISION INDIVIDUAL AWARD NOMINATION POLICE OFFICER III SOL A. LEBUS # Table of Contents - [1996 HERMAN GOLDSTEIN EXCELLENCE IN PROBLE.. WEST TRAFFIC DIVISION INDIVIDUAL AWARD NOMINATION POLICE OFFICER III SOL A. LEBUS](#1996-herman-goldstein-excellence-in-proble-west-traffic-division-individual-award-nomination-police-officer-iii-sol-a-lebus) - [SCANNING](#scanning) - [ANALYSIS](#analysis) - [West Traffic Division](#west-traffic-division) - [Nomination for 1996 Herman Goldstein Award Page 2](#nomination-for-1996-herman-goldstein-award-page-2) - [RESPONSE](#response) - [EVALUATION](#evaluation) - [PHILOSOPHY AND ORGANIZATION](#philosophy-and-organization) - [ADDENDA](#addenda) - [Gunning for Speeders](#gunning-for-speeders) - [ZADAR](#zadar) - [LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT](#los-angeles-police-department) - [BETTY P. KELEPECZ, Captain](#betty-p-kelepecz-captain) - [COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH PROGRAM AGREEMENT](#community-speed-watch-program-agreement) - [Community Speed Watch Participant](#community-speed-watch-participant) - [Community Speed Watch Participant](#community-speed-watch-participant) - [Community Speed Watch Participant](#community-speed-watch-participant) - [Radar Model:](#radar-model) - [Radar Serial No.](#radar-serial-no) - [COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH PROGRAM](#community-speed-watch-program) - [OBSERVATION LOG](#observation-log) ## SCANNING West Traffic Division has experienced a long standing problem of controlling speed violations in the West Los Angeles canyon areas. Police Officer II+2 Sol A. Lebus was assigned to the West Los Angeles Area to coordinate the Department's efforts to address the problem and to enlist the assistance of the community most affected by the problem. Officer Lebus ${ }^{1}$ research included reviewing statistics of speed-related traffic collisions and complaints by citizens living or employed in the area. The canyon areas have many narrow thoroughfares with numerous extreme curves and uphill and downhill grades. Many residences abut the roadways, there are no sidewalks for pedestrian travel, and there is often reduced visibility due to foliage. Some canyon areas have wide straightaways, with uphill and downhill grades and wide sweeping curves. At various times, there is water on the roadways from residents watering their property or rain flowing down the canyon streets. These routes through the canyons link the San Fernando Valley area with the cities of Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Culver City, West Hollywood and metropolitan Los Angeles. Hence, a great amount of commuter traffic passes through the area to avoid the congested Sepulveda Pass on the 405 Freeway. ## ANALYSIS Statistical information for the last three years and six months supported the need to address the speed violation problem. In 1993, 348 injury traffic accidents occurred, 71 ( $20 \%$ ) of which were speed related. In 1994, there were 340 injury traffic accidents, of which $65(19 \%)$ were speed related. During 1995, 347 injury traffic accidents occurred, of which $72(21 \%)$ were speed related. Seventy-seven complaints of speeding vehicles were lodged with the Community Traffic Services Unit, West Traffic Division, from January 1993 through June 30, 1996. Many of these complaints are related to long-term, ongoing problems assigned to Community Traffic Services Unit officers in the West Los Angeles area. The problem involved residents of the area, as well as commuter traffic traveling between the San Fernando Valley and the metropolitan Los Angeles area. Three of these speed-related accidents resulted in fatalities, 12 resulted in major, incapacitating injuries, and 220 resulted in other injuries. Prior to January 1996, the # West Traffic Division ## Nomination for 1996 Herman Goldstein Award Page 2 traditional method of enforcement had been the only effort employed to reduce the problem. The results of these efforts were temporary reductions of speed, based on the availability of officers to address the problem. There had been homeowners' association meetings involving Captain Mark Leap and Officers Lebus and Bill Justice discussing the speed problems and enforcement efforts. ## RESPONSE In July 1995, Officer Lebus met with Ms. Silvie Brown, Chairman of the Traffic Committee, Beverly Glen Homeowners' Association. Ms. Brown advised Officer Lebus that she had recently read of a program in Ohio where citizen volunteers were assisting the police with recording speed violations in their neighborhoods. Officer Lebus obtained a copy of the program. He then approached Captain Mark Leap, Commanding Officer, West Traffic Division, and explained what he had learned of the Ohio program. Captain Leap assigned Officer Lebus to develop a similar plan to be used in the West Los Angeles canyon areas. Officer Lebus developed a program which involved the community, acting in partnership with the police, in the detection of violators and presented it to Captain Leap, who then forwarded the plan to the Department's Traffic Coordinator and the City Attorney for approval and implementation on a Citywide basis. In January 1996, Officer Lebus used civilian volunteers assigned to the West Los Angeles Area to look at the plan in action. He provided the training for the volunteers; and on three occasions, he implemented a test program. A couple of minor problems surfaced which Officer Lebus addressed. The next step in the process was to enlist volunteers to be part of the program. Officer Lebus attended the Beverly Glen Homeowners' Association meeting and had no trouble obtaining willing participants. On March 26, 1996, the program was implemented under the leadership of Officer Lebus. The Community Speed Watch Program had officially begun, teaming the community and police in a joint effort to solve a long standing traffic problem in West Los Angeles. The program provides use of a City-owned radar gun to monitor the speed of vehicles traveling through selected areas. The results are recorded on a log which is returned to the Department, detailing the license numbers of vehicles violating the speed regulations. The Department of Motor Vehicles is queried to identify the registered owners of the vehicles. A letter from the Department is then sent to advise the registered owners of the program and that their vehicle was monitored in violation of the speed laws. A brief encouragement is included, promoting the safety enhancement of driving within the speed limits throughout the City. West Traffic Division Nomination for 1996 Herman Goldstein Award Page 3 On April 3, 1996, the plan was presented at a press conference. A follow-up article touting the program was printed by the Los Angeles Times. This created interest for several other community groups. Officer Lebus made several presentations to homeowners' associations and handled requests for information from several Los Angeles Police Divisions, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office, Beverly Hills Police Department, Palm Desert Police Department, Cathedral City Police Department and the Azusa Police Department. Officer Lebus developed an application for volunteers to submit an agreement to conditions of the program; an instruction sheet on the use of radar; a hands-on training program for volunteers; a "train the trainer" program for other officers who will be instructing and overseeing the program in their areas of assignment; a log reflecting the monitoring of violators; and a letter from the Department to registered owners of vehicles monitored in excess of posted speed limits. A sign out log for use of the radar equipment has also been initiated. The criteria that were most important prior to implementation of the program were the legal issues and liability issues which were addressed by the City Attorney. The cost issues were minimal, as the officer can conduct training and oversee the program as part of his duty day. The equipment involved is minimal, and the use of volunteers creates no cost to the City. The cost for issuing letters to violators is basically limited to the amount of postage needed to mail such letters. The intent of the Community Speed Watch Program is to create the atmosphere that speed violations will not be accepted by the community. The potential violators' frame of mind can be positively affected by the presence of volunteers assisting the police in reducing the speed problems in their respective neighborhoods. # EVALUATION The most obvious results of the program have been the marked decrease in injury traffic accidents in the canyon areas of West Los Angeles. From January 1 through June 30, 1996, the area experienced 102 injury traffic accidents compared to 180 injury accidents for that same time in 1995. This difference of 78 injury accidents equates to a $43 \%$ reduction. The speed-related injury accidents also show a decrease of 15 for a $35 \%$ reduction for the same time frames. These reductions are well in excess of West Traffic Division's goal of reducing injury accidents. The Community Speed Watch Program is in the early stages and is continuously being evaluated. There are now six community groups actively participating in the program in different areas of West Bureau, and officers from the Community Traffic Services Unit are in the process of enlisting and training more community groups. West Traffic Division Nomination for 1996 Herman Goldstein Award Page 4 Another indicator of the program's success is the feedback provided by the volunteers who are observing reductions in the speed of vehicles, as their presence is now becoming quite well known in the selected areas. Officer Lebus was involved in the initial evaluation of the program. Officers of the Community Traffic Services Unit, the West Traffic Division Commanding Officer, and the watch commanders are now involved in the continuous evaluation of the program. One of the problems associated with the program has been the need to add a third volunteer to the team to effectively record the vehicle information on the log. Another problem was the safe placement of the volunteer teams to conduct the monitoring, i.e., establishing safe locations out of the traffic lanes. Officer Lebus has addressed and resolved these areas of concern. The program will continue to be monitored in the form of officers evaluating the effectiveness of the volunteers, the issuance of letters to the registered owners of vehicles violating the speed laws and the reduction of speed-related injury traffic collisions. An excellent example of Community Policing, the program can serve as a model for other Departments or agencies plagued with speed violations. # PHILOSOPHY AND ORGANIZATION The Community Speed Watch Program was initiated by Officer Lebus. This project required 40 hours of preparation prior to its approval. Officer Lebus then spent approximately 20 hours per week training the volunteers, speaking to homeowner's groups concerning the use of the program, querying the Department of Motor Vehicles, sending letters to registered owners of vehicles and answering numerous calls for information on the program. Officers of West Traffic Division are currently being trained in problem-solving and problem-oriented policing. This training has been ongoing for approximately one year. No incentives have been offered to officers engaged in problem-solving other than Departmental commendations and recognition. West Traffic Division Nomination Tor 1996 Herman Goldstein Award Page 5 # ADDENDA 1. Los Angeles Times article "Gunning for Speeders" 2. Department letter to registered owner of violating vehicle 3. Community Speed Watch Program Agreement 4. Community Speed Watch Observation Log ![img-0.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/96-28/img-0.jpeg) Robert Ringler, head of Residents of Beverly Glen Inc., uses a radar gun provided by the LAPD to track speeders. # Gunning for Speeders **Traffic:** Neighbors form Community Speed Watch Program to track reckless drivers on Beverly Glen. **By DUKE HELFAND** **CHECK STAFF WRITER** In a new twist on neighborhood Watch, residential crime fighters in Beverly Glen are waging a bold new battle against scofflaw speeders. Armed with a radar gun and a defiant attitude, they have taken up positions along steep and winding Beverly Glen Boulevard to monitor cars and write down license plate numbers. Police will send out warning letters to the registered owners of vehicles caught speeding down a three-mile stretch of the lush canyon road between Sunset Boulevard and Mulholland Drive. The radar patrol is the first of its kind in Los Angeles but police are already getting inquiries from other neighborhood groups about duplicating the effort. For neighbors who spend their mornings and afternoons playing traffic cop, the new Community Speed Watch Program is a welcome relief from an old problem. "Get behind the radar gun and it's like letting steam out," said Sylvi Brown, 48, a member of Residents of Beverly Glen Inc., the group that officially launched its citizens patrol Wednesday. "We're so angry at the way people drive." Please see RADAR, 56 # ZADAR **ailured from 81** re—whether it's speeding, tailing or not letting you out of or downway. Police say the campaign is run, but effective. Officers from the 11 Angeles Police Department's 1st Traffic Division provide a car gun and a logbook for the 110th patrol, which take place just twice a week during the day. The volunteer crime fighters usually work in groups of three, in one person holding the radar and the others noting license numbers. The group, which began practice last week, will conduct its trials up to four hours at a time on speeded days. Police will choose locations to be staked out on early Glen. Although the warning letters in by police are expected to have impact, residents say the mere cause of the radar gun already bears to be working. "It's obvious people are slamming on their brakes," Robert Rigler, a former UCLA dean and resident of the neighborhood association, said as he checked cars endlessly. "You watch the ends drop as they go through it." Rigler, 55, who is also a justice the peace, spent the better part of town hours gleefully calling out people as cars passed the group's 110th accident for the day, a small dirt gun alongside the road. "I'm actually getting them here they even see me, when they are around the turn," Rigler said, steadying the radar gun with 55 hands. Among the 39 of 55 cars caught leading through the canyon, 1100 miles were a Mercedes doing right, a Corvette at 42 mph and a 4W at 48 mph. "We're heavy on the luxury car," said Adam Siegler, 38, an attorney who took time off from work to join the radar team. Beverly Glen residents have been complained about speeders going down the two-lane roadway, which snakes up Beverly on canyon amid overhanging trees and exclusive homes. ![img-1.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/96-28/img-1.jpeg) Robert Ringler, left, clocks cars while Adam Siegler writes down speeders' license plate 1. The street serves as a quick route for commuters traveling between the Westside and the San Fernando Valley. In all, 17,000 cars a day travel the street, where speed limits vary from 20 mph at sharp turns to 30 mph at high speed. Police say the street has earned an accident-prone reputation, with 29 collisions last year, including one in which a motorcyclist lost a leg. But those who live along the street and in the quiet hills around it say the official reports fail to capture the true extent of the trouble. They complain about motorists crashing into mailboxes, street signs, trash cans and parked cars with minor accidents occur, and at least once a week. Residents say they put their lives at risk every time they pull out of their driveways. "It's fearful," Ringler said. "Try to back out and you don't know how fast somebody is coming around the curve." Last year, an answer emerged. A member of the neighborhood association heard a radio report about a small community in Ohio that was using radar guns to curb speeding. The group decided to contact Los Angeles police about trying a similar approach on Beverly Glen. Brown, head of the neighborhood group's traffic committee and the person who initiated the program with police, recalled that some residents were apprehensive at first about taking aggressive action. "A few people said, 'What if the motorists pull over and pick a fight or pull a gun?'" Brown said. "The police said that if it looks like a motorist is going to get hostile, call on [your] cellular phone." Police held a training in the track the activists how to radar gun and log into numbers and other vital signs. Two other Westside cars on nearby Roeroma and another in the hill, Hollywood—are preparing their own patrols. Other of the cars have also entered the test, police say. Ultimately, authorities in the program will be doing neighborhoods citywide. "The response to this tremendous," said Officer 110, coordinator of the post, the West Traffic Division hoping more people will travel. We'll train them them out on the street. ![img-2.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/96-28/img-2.jpeg) TOTAL P.02 # LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT WILLIE L. WILLIAMSChief of Police ![img-3.jpeg](https://popdatasets.blob.core.windows.net/popdatasetmdimgs/96-28/img-3.jpeg) RICHARD J. RIORDAN Mayor PO Box 30158 Los Angeles, Calif. 90030 Telephone: (310) 840-2122 Ref \#: 6.5 FIELD(date) FIELD(name) FIELD(address) Dear FIELD(salutation): The Los Angeles Police Department sponsors a traffic safety program known as the Community Speed Watch Program (CSWP). The CSWP allows trained community members to borrow a speed-measuring radar unit from the police department and conduct traffic speed checks in their neighborhoods. The CSWP is intended to enhance the traffic safety of all vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and residents of the City of Los Angeles. On FIELD(date viol occurred), at FrELD(time viol occurred), a FIELD(veh descrip) with license \# FIELD(license no.) was observed speeding by one of the CSW? volunteers at FIELD(loc of viol). This vehicle, which is registered to you. was observed traveling at FIELD(radar speed) miles per hour in a posted FIELD(posted speed) miles per hour zone. Although no citation will be issued as a result of this observation, it is hoped that you will take the necessary action to ensure that no future violations occur. As the registered owner of this vehicle, it is your responsibility to ensure that your vehicle is operated in a safe manner, regardless of who the driver might be. On behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department and the CSWP participants. I would like to take this opportunity to enlist your aid in promoting traffic safety, not'only in the City of Los Angeles, but also on all roads and highways. It is the hope of the Los Angeles Police Department and the CSWP volunteers that your vehicles are operated at or below the posted speed limits at all times. Your cooperation is appreciated. If you have any questions regarding this notification, please contact Officer FrELD(officer's name) of West Traffic Community Traffic Services Unit at (310) 840-2122/23. Very truly yours. WILLIE L. WILLIAMS Chief of Police ## BETTY P. KELEPECZ, Captain Commanding Officer West Traffic Division # COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH PROGRAM AGREEMENT I hereby acknowledge receipt of one radar unit, free of charge, from the Los Angeles Police Department for use u the Community Speed Watch Program. I agree this radar unit will be used in accordance with the training guideline established by the Los Angeles Police Department. In consideration for the privilege of utilizing this radar unit i the Community Speed Watch Program, I forever discharge the Los Angeles Police Department and the City of Lo Angeles from any and all actions, causes of action, claims, demands, costs, loss of service, expenses an compensation in the event of any damage or injury occurring during the use of this radar unit, and do hereb covenant with the said Los Angeles Police Department and the City of Los Angeles to indemnify and hold ther harmless from all claims, demands, costs, expenses, and compensations on account of, or in any way growing of, said incident from the date of these presents. Further, I hereby acknowledge that I have received training from the Los Angeles Police Department in the use an care of this radar unit. I understand the radar unit is to be used solely for monitoring traffic speed in $m$ neighborhood, during the day or night, for a period of up to three consecutive days from the date of issuance, ar that two persons are required for each data collection period - one to operate the radar unit and one to record $t$ required vehicle information. When alleged speeders are detected by the use of this radar, information which w assist in idemifying the violating vehicle will be recorded and submitted to the Los Angeles Police Department. TI Los Angeles Police Department cannot issue a traffic citation to drivers detected by Community Speed Watc Program participants, but will send a letter to the registered owner(s) of the offending vehicle advising them of $t$ observed infraction and encouraging them to observe traffic laws in the future. I hereby acknowledge that I will in no way attempt to detain or make contact with a suspected violator, bor wil enter into a vehicular or foot chase of a suspected violator of a traffic law. ## Community Speed Watch Participant ## Community Speed Watch Participant ## Community Speed Watch Participant ## Radar Model: Turning Fork No. Issuing Officer: Address Address Address ## Radar Serial No. Issue Date: Return Date: # COMMUNITY SPEED WATCH PROGRAM ## OBSERVATION LOG **RADAR OPERATOR:** ***_******_******_******_***__ **RECORDER:** ***_******_******_******_***__ **CTSU OFFICER:** ***_******_******_******_***__ | DATE | TIME | LOCATION | LICENSE NO. | VEHICLE DESCRIPTION | VERIFIED DMV | POSTED SPEED LIMIT | OBSERVED SPEED | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |