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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBack-Up DocumentsBACK-UP DOCUMENT(S) CPG-2022-CityofMiam-00236 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 500-065-17 HIGHWAY SAFETY CONCEPT PAPER SAFETY Concept Paper Summary 05/18 Applicant Information Applicant Agency: Implementing Agency: Concept Paper Title: Priority Area for Concept Paper: Amount Requested: Type of Project: Type of Request: Previous Year's Project Number (if Continuation) Head of Agency City of Miami City of Miami Police Department FY 2022 Speeding/Aggressive Driving Enforcement Saturation Patrol Project Speed/Aggressive Driving $289,786.00 QC:I, U i (JAY" K k `I C Local Continuation - 3 SC-2021-00301 Name: Jorge R. Colina State: Florida Title: Chief of Police Zip: 33130 Address 1: 400 NW 2nd Ave. Phone: (305) 603-6100 Address 2: 4th Floor Extension: City: Miami Email: 1126@miami-police.org Protect Contact Name: Eric Gonzalez State: Florida Title: Major (Special Operations Division) Zip: 33130 Address 1: 400 NW 2nd Ave. Phone: (305) 603-6508 Address 2: Extension: City: Miami Email: 2368@miami-police.org Statement of the Problem: Despite progress in other areas, such as increased seat belt usage and fewer drunk driving deaths, speeding continues to be a contributing factor in a significant number of roadway fatalities. In 2018 National Highway Safety Traffic Administration report for speeding -related traffic fatalities, Florida came in 3rd among the 50 States.(1) Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the dramatic drop in traffic has surprisingly caused a dangerous upwelling in speeding. These instances go beyond the typical 5-10 mph -over -the -limit speeding, and instead involve severe speeding. As populations continue to work and go to school from home because of COVID-19, the streets are emptier and drivers on the street are more emboldened to test their need for speed. While the number of speeding cases have gone down overall in 2020, the severity of speed and aggressive driving instances has increased. 02/26/2021 Page 1 of 9 CPG-2022-CityofMiarn-00236 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 500-065-17 HIGHWAY SAFETY CONCEPT PAPER SAFETY Concept Paper Summary 05/18 "I've had tickets for unusually high speeds cross my desk— 115 in a 70 mph zone, 120 in a 70 mph zone, 111 in a 65 mph zone," said attorney Ted Hollander, partner at The Ticket Clinic, which has been handling a lower than average number of citations in the past month at its 31 Florida locations, but a higher percentage of speeding tickets. (2) This surge in speed and aggressive driving behavior is affecting states and cities across America. Sergeant Clark Parrot with Missouri Highway Patrol said he is seeing this behavior a lot during the pandemic. "When this whole COVID thing started back in March, and through April, and May, we saw speed regularly in triple digits."(3) From Jan. 1 through the end of April, The Crash Dashboard from the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department, recorded 15,981 crashes, 99 fatalities from crashes and 7,586 injuries from crashes in Miami -Dade. While crashes are down about 25 percent for the year, fatalities are ONLY down by nine (9) percent. In March and April 2020 alone, there were 13 traffic fatalities in Miami -Dade compared to 15 in the two -month period in 2019. (4) Law enforcement agencies must commit greater resources to prevent serious injuries and fatalities caused by this surge in the severity of speeding and aggressive driving behavior. This is especially critical in larger cities like Miami, which is the sixth most densely populated major city in the United States with an U.S. Census estimated 2019 population of 467,963. The City of Miami lies within the top 25% of cities in the FDOT FY2022 Highway Safety Matrix — Ranking of Florida Cities. In particular, it is #4 in "Speeding/Aggressive Driving" categories. The City of Miami Police Department (MPD) is stretched for resources as it tries to meet the demands of a major urban city under the economic constraints of a pandemic. It is imperative for MPD to commit additional resources and manpower throughout the City of Miami to respond to increasing aggressive driving behavior and reduce the number of vehicular crashes and accidents due to speed and aggressive driving. Sources: (1) https://cdan.dot.gov/SASStoredProcess/guest (2) https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article242383241.html (3) https://www.kfvsl2.com/2020/12/09/aaa-survey-shows-rise-speeding-aggressive-driving/ (4) https://www.flhsmv.gov/traffic-crash-reports/crash-dashboard/ Supporting Data: The pandemic largely reduced the number of vehicles on the road in 2020 and also caused drastic changes in City of Miami operations and conditions, which led to an outlier reduction in citations, crashes and injuries last year. The number of fatalities in 2020 however, stayed within the range of 2018-2019 numbers. The City of Miami consistently led the State of Florida in coronavirus cases and was one of the most affected cities in the country for most of 2020. At one point last summer, the situation had become so dire, experts deemed Miami the epicenter of the global pandemic. The City of Miami leadership responded swiftly and decisively in order to bring down coronavirus cases, which were overwhelming local hospitals. More residents working from home, virtual schooling, City -mandated curfews, and lockdowns of businesses, including 02/26/2021 Page 2 of 9 C P G-2022-C itpfM ia rn-00236 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 500-065-17 HIGHWAY SAFETY CONCEPT PAPER SAFETY Concept Paper Summary 05/18 restaurants, bars, hotels, theaters, gyms and event facilities —led to a significant drop in people out in public and on the road. PortMiami, the largest passenger port in the world suspended all cruise activity since March 2020 and only allows for cargo business. Traveling restrictions also drastically reduced the amount of motorists on the streets of our tourism -driven City. Consequentially, less officers were assigned to work traffic enforcement in light of traffic volume reductions. The court system was shut down for the better part of the year, which halted the number of arrests that could be made. Now that the courts are back in operation in a virtual capacity, an increase in traffic -related arrests is anticipated. The pandemic also shifted the priorities of the City and MPD. For the first quarter of the year, officers were assigned to facilitate Food Drives across Miami's districts to meet the needs of residents economically disadvantaged by the pandemic. Sworn -officer personnel resources were also reallocated to focus on enforcement of COVID-19 regulations. As a public health crisis, the coronavirus adversely affected staffing levels. At one point last year, the entire Traffic Enforcement Unit was quarantined and out of commission. Out of all municipal departments, MPD suffered the highest number of coronavirus cases, causing staffing shortfalls throughout the year. In the first few months of 2021, we are now seeing a return to normalcy as a vaccine is becoming more readily available to the public, State and city-wide coronavirus cases are dropping and thus a majority of restrictions have been lifted. While City leadership still continues implementing policies and safeguards against the coronavirus, the City is now open for business. We are seeing an uptick of public life, including more drivers on the road. As a better normal sets in, MPD is anticipating the need to focus on traffic enforcement for 2021-2022. Police must be prepared to keep the roadways safe as Miami goes back to pre -pandemic levels. Year Number of Speeding/Aggressive-related Crash Citations 2020 - 422 2019 — 5,598 2018 - 5,192 Year Number of Speeding/Aggressive-related Driving Crashes 2020 - 422 2019 - 4,576 2018 - 4,302 Year Number of Speeding/Aggressive-related Fatalities 2020 - 3 2019 - 6 2018 - 8 Year Number of Speeding/Aggressive-related Injuries 2020 - 1 2019 — 1,598 2018 —1,410 02/26/2021 Page 3 of 9 CPG-2022-CityofMiam-00236 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 500-065-17 HIGHWAY SAFETY CONCEPT PAPER SAFETY Concept Paper Summary 05/18 Proposed Solution: According to the FDOT FY 2022 Highway Safety Matrix — Ranking of Florida Cities, Miami is ranked #4 in "Speeding or Aggressive Driving" and lies within the top 25% of cities in the State. To ensure the public's safety, the City of Miami Police Department (MPD) proposes to use FDOT funding to support the "FY 2022 Speeding/Aggressive Driving Enforcement Saturation Patrol Project" to decrease hazardous driving incidents attributed to Speeding or Aggressive Driving. The project will use concepts from Countermeasure That Work Guide found in Chapter 3, Speeding and Speed Management, 2.2 High Visibility Enforcement. High visibility enforcement campaigns have been used to deter speeding and aggressive driving through both specific and general deterrence. In the high visibility enforcement model, law enforcement targets selected high -crash or high -violation geographical areas using either expanded regular patrols or designated aggressive driving patrols. The strategy is very similar to saturation patrols directed at alcohol -impaired drivers. Because speeding and aggressive driving are moving violations, officers cannot use checkpoints. Rather, they must observe driving behavior on the road. Therefore, MPD is requesting FDOT funding to enhance its enforcement efforts and deterrence capability, with the execution of city-wide "Speeding/Aggressive Driving Saturation Patrols" (Saturation Patrols). FDOT funds will be allocated toward off -duty personnel who must work overtime to man these patrols. This project will use a high visibility enforcement model, where officers will focus on drivers who commit common aggressive driving actions such as: • Speeding and/or racing; • Improper or erratic lane changing; • Sudden and erratic speed changes; • Illegal driving on shoulders, sidewalks or medians; • Prohibited and dangerous passing and merging; • Following other vehicles too closely; • Running red lights; • Failure to yield right of way; • Making improper turns Each of Miami's (3) three Police Districts (North, Central and South) will be assigned Saturation Patrols. Officers assigned to a district operate from one of three police stations throughout the City of Miami, and every area and its officers are led by a District Commander. Officers who are laser/radar certified, will be assigned to a Saturation Patrol operation. Commanders or designated supervising officers for each District, will schedule these operations throughout the grant period. They will target hotspots with a high number of accidents, instances of severe over -the -limit speeding, and major corridors in their respective areas. These locations will be identified using data from resident calls to police, crash reports and speeding ticket reports. To ensure this project will decrease Speed/Aggressive traffic incidents city-wide, each of the three (3) Police Districts, will have 2 or more Saturation Patrol operations per week, city-wide during the grant period. For 02/26/2021 Page 4 of 9 CPG-2022-CityofMiem-00236 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 500-065-17 HIGHWAY SAFETY CONCEPT PAPER SAFETY Concept Paper Summary 05/18 large-scale operations, Saturation Patrols will consist of 2 or more officers and one Supervisor. Small-scale operations will include individual officers targeting specific locations where aggressive driving has been determined. FDOT funding dedicated to overtime pay for the Saturation Patrols, will be divided among the three (3) Police Districts. MPD will also use funds to purchase Digital Radar Speed Signs that can be deployed in areas where speeding and aggressive driving occurs. This type of speed sign displays driver speed data, making drivers aware that they are traveling above the speed limit. Research shows that they are effective in slowing speed violators, particularly with today's highly visual, often distracted drivers. The signs also have Traffic Data Recorder technology which provides statistical analysis enabling targeted enforcement. The collected data can guide the direction of the Saturation Patrols and where enforcement is needed for greater efficiency. Internally there will be bi-weekly analytics to determine where Saturation Patrols will be placed. The data will also show MPD if the enforcement is working and whether operations are targeting the right areas. MPD is committed to the safety of all who live, work, and visit the City of Miami. Pre and post operations' briefings will be conducted to ensure all officers are made aware and understand the policies and procedures, goals, duties, and objectives of the operation. The Saturation Patrols will have a high visibility police presence and serve to reduce serious vehicular crashes. Sustainability: The City of Miam Police Department is committed to making Miami's streets safe by reducing the number of speeding and aggressive driving accidents; and educating our residents on proper driving safety laws and guidelines. To support the sustainability of the "FY 2022 Speeding/Aggressive Driving Enforcement Saturation Patrol Project" after the grant funding is expended, the City of Miami's Office of Grants Administration will search and submit for additional grant opportunities to ensure the project remains funded. MPD will also 02/26/2021 Page 5 of 9 CPG-2022-CityofMiam-00236 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 500-065-17 HIGHWAY SAFETY CONCEPT PAPER SAFETY Concept Paper Summary 05/18 leverage relationships in the community and reach out to organizations, companies, and agencies for public/private partnerships. Proiect Obiectives: 1) Each of the three police District area conducts a minimum of 2 Saturation Patrol operations per week. 2) During the grant period, reduce the number of Speed/Aggressive-related crashes in the City of Miami by 2-5% compared to the three year average of the most recent data. 3) During the grant period, reduce the number of Speed/Aggressive-related fatalities by 2-5% compared to the three year average of the most recent data. 4) During the grant period, reduce the number of crashes in each of the Districts by 2-5% compared to the three year average of the most recent data. Evaluation: The "Process Evaluation" method is most suitable for evaluating the number of "Speeding/Aggressive Driving Saturation Patrols" and motorists who received educational literature. This method lends itself to assessing the completion of steps taken to achieve desired program outcomes. Conducting the patrols are all part of the process of reducing Speed/Aggressive Driving related fatalities and traffic crashes, they are the "steps taken". The "Outcome Evaluation" method will be used to evaluate reduction in Speed/Aggressive Driving related traffic crashes. This will provide a quantifiable framework by which we can measure the results of this program, as it considers program goals to determine if desired changes have been attained as a result of the intervention. To ensure a thorough evaluation of the success of our "FY 2022 Speeding/Aggressive Driving Enforcement Saturation Patrol Project", the City of Miami Police Department will measure the following metrics: 1) Number of Operations/Patrols conducted per month. 2) Number of Speed/Aggressive Driving related crashes. 3) Number of Speed/Aggressive Driving related traffic fatalities. 02/26/2021 Page 6 of 9 CPG-2022-CityofMiam-00236 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 500-065-17 HIGHWAY SAFETY CONCEPT PAPER SAFETY Concept Paper Summary 05/18 02/26/2021 Page 7 of 9 CPG-2022-CityofMiam-00236 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 500-065-17 HIGHWAY SAFETY CONCEPT PAPER SAFETY Concept Paper Budget 05/18 BUDGET CATEGORY NARRATIVE: FEDERAL MATCH TOTAL INDIRECT FUNDS ELIGIBILITY A. Personnel Services Saturation Patrols Sworn law Funding will be divided among $250,000 $0 $250,000 enforcement personnel the 3 Police Districts to cover the cost of overtime pay for the Saturation Patrols. Overtime salary includes SS/FICA as follows: FICA @ 1.45% and FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) benefit. Subtotal $250,000 $0 $250,000 B. Contractual Services Subtotal $0 $0 $0 C. Expenses - Any purchase with a per item unit cost of $200 or more from any line item within this Category, excluding software, must have FDOT State Safety Office written approval, prior to purchase. Subtotal $0 $0 $0 D. Equipment Costing $5,000 or More Digital Radar Speed Signs 6 signs @ $6,631 ea. Two $39,786 $0 $39,786 Digital Radar Speed Signs to be distributed to each of the three police districts. Placement will be contingent on data analysis to efficiently place at locations with the greatest need. Subtotal $39,786 $0 $39,786 E. Indirect Cost % $0 $0 02/26/2021 Page 8 of 9 CPG-2022-CityofMiam-00236 STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 500-065-17 HIGHWAY SAFETY CONCEPT PAPER SAFETY Concept Paper Budget 05/16 Subtotal $0 $0 Total Cost of Project $289,786 $0 $289,786 02/26/2021 Page 9 of 9