Introduction to Traffic Law, Investigation, and Enforcement


Book Description

Designed to serve as a comprehensive guide, Introduction to Traffic Law, Investigation, and Enforcement equips law enforcement officials with the vital knowledge they need to confidently and successfully investigate and enforce traffic laws. In Unit 1 of the text, students develop foundational knowledge regarding common traffic rules, including current licensing and registration laws, and moving, non-moving, and federal motor carrier regulations. Unit 2 explores methods used to enforce traffic codes, familiarizing readers with the proper preparation of traffic tickets, the use of speed detection devices, the application of field sobriety tests, and more. Students are introduced to accident investigation processes and procedures in Unit 3, covering both basic and advanced topics, from the completion of an accident report form to analyzing an accident reconstruction to determine its cause. In the final unit, readers develop an understanding of why traffic management programs are implemented and evaluated, as well as methods of supervision and ways to interpret traffic data. Introduction to Traffic Law, Investigation, and Enforcement is an ideal textbook for courses in traffic law, policing, and law enforcement. Aric Steven Frazier is a lecturer at Oakland City University, where he teaches courses in forensics, investigation, and other criminal justice topics. He is a senior consultant for Frazier Reconstruction Services, providing clients with assistance in traffic administration, crash reconstruction, and law enforcement application, testing, and evaluation. He previously taught at Vincennes University and Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, and has served as a police officer.




Policing the Open Road


Book Description

A Smithsonian Best History Book of the Year Winner of the Littleton-Griswold Prize Winner of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award Winner of the Order of the Coif Award Winner of the Sidney M. Edelstein Prize Winner of the David J. Langum Sr. Prize in American Legal History Winner of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Book Prize “From traffic stops to parking tickets, Seo traces the history of cars alongside the history of crime and discovers that the two are inextricably linked.” —Smithsonian When Americans think of freedom, they often picture the open road. Yet nowhere are we more likely to encounter the long arm of the law than in our cars. Sarah Seo reveals how the rise of the automobile led us to accept—and expect—pervasive police power, a radical transformation with far-reaching consequences. Before the twentieth century, most Americans rarely came into contact with police officers. But in a society dependent on cars, everyone—law-breaking and law-abiding alike—is subject to discretionary policing. Seo challenges prevailing interpretations of the Warren Court’s due process revolution and argues that the Supreme Court’s efforts to protect Americans did more to accommodate than limit police intervention. Policing the Open Road shows how the new procedures sanctioned discrimination by officers, and ultimately undermined the nation’s commitment to equal protection before the law. “With insights ranging from the joy of the open road to the indignities—and worse—of ‘driving while black,’ Sarah Seo makes the case that the ‘law of the car’ has eroded our rights to privacy and equal justice...Absorbing and so essential.” —Paul Butler, author of Chokehold “A fascinating examination of how the automobile reconfigured American life, not just in terms of suburbanization and infrastructure but with regard to deeply ingrained notions of freedom and personal identity.” —Hua Hsu, New Yorker




Pulled Over


Book Description

An accessible resource for judges, attorneys, law enforcement officers, and the public, Pulled Over: The Law of Traffic Stops and Offenses in North Carolina discusses traffic stop procedure from beginning to end, explains the law of motor vehicle checkpoints, describes North Carolina's driver's license and vehicle registration laws, and reviews the elements of many common traffic offenses. While the book's focus is North Carolina law, much of the content is pertinent in any jurisdiction. [back cover].




Alcohol, Drugs, and Impaired Driving


Book Description

Alcohol, Drugs, and Impaired Driving addresses many theoretical and practical issues related to the role played by alcohol and other psychoactive drugs on driving performance, road-traffic safety, and public health. Several key forensic issues are involved in the enforcement of laws regulating driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs, including analytical toxicology, pharmacology of drug action, as well as the relationships between dose taken, concentration levels in the body, and impairment of performance and behavior. Our knowledge of drunken driving is much more comprehensive than drugged driving, so a large part of this book is devoted to alcohol impairment, as well as impairment caused by use of drugs other than alcohol. For convenience, the book is divided into four main sections. The first section gives some historical background about measuring alcohol in blood and breath as evidence for the prosecution of traffic offenders. The important role of the Breathalyzer instrument in traffic-law enforcement, especially in Australia, Canada, and the USA is presented along with a biographical sketch of its inventor (Professor Robert F. Borkenstein of Indiana University) with focus on the man, his work and his impact. The second section discusses several issues related to forensic blood and breath-alcohol alcohol analysis as evidence for prosecution of traffic offenders. This includes how the results should be interpreted in relation to impairment and an evaluation of common defense challenges. Because most countries have adopted concentration per se laws, the main thrust of the prosecution case is the suspect’s measured blood- or breath-alcohol concentration. This legal framework necessitates that the analytical methods used are "fit for purpose" and are subjected to rigorous quality assurance procedures. The third section gives a broad overview of the current state of knowledge about driving under the influence of non-alcohol drugs in various countries. This includes adoption of zero-tolerance laws, concentration per se statutes, and clinical evidence of driver impairment based on field sobriety tests and drug recognition expert evidence. The fourth section deals with epidemiology, enforcement, and countermeasures aimed at reducing the threat of drunken and drugged driving. All articles have appeared previously in the international journal Forensic Science Review, but all are completely updated with current data, references, and the latest research on developments since the articles were published. This book contains a convenient collection of the best articles covering recommendations for blood and breath testing methods, public policy relating to such methods, and forensic and legal implications of the enforcement of measures to counter driving under the influence.







Pulled Over


Book Description

In sheer numbers, no form of government control comes close to the police stop. Each year, twelve percent of drivers in the United States are stopped by the police, and the figure is almost double among racial minorities. Police stops are among the most recognizable and frequently criticized incidences of racial profiling, but, while numerous studies have shown that minorities are pulled over at higher rates, none have examined how police stops have come to be both encouraged and institutionalized. Pulled Over deftly traces the strange history of the investigatory police stop, from its discredited beginning as “aggressive patrolling” to its current status as accepted institutional practice. Drawing on the richest study of police stops to date, the authors show that who is stopped and how they are treated convey powerful messages about citizenship and racial disparity in the United States. For African Americans, for instance, the experience of investigatory stops erodes the perceived legitimacy of police stops and of the police generally, leading to decreased trust in the police and less willingness to solicit police assistance or to self-censor in terms of clothing or where they drive. This holds true even when police are courteous and respectful throughout the encounters and follow seemingly colorblind institutional protocols. With a growing push in recent years to use local police in immigration efforts, Hispanics stand poised to share African Americans’ long experience of investigative stops. In a country that celebrates democracy and racial equality, investigatory stops have a profound and deleterious effect on African American and other minority communities that merits serious reconsideration. Pulled Over offers practical recommendations on how reforms can protect the rights of citizens and still effectively combat crime.




Suspect Citizens


Book Description

The costs of racially disparate patterns of police behavior are high, but the crime fighting benefits are low.




Traffic Law Enforcement


Book Description

A study was undertaken to review the recent Australian and international literature relating to traffic law enforcement. The specific areas examined included alcohol, speed, seat belts and signalised intersections. The review documents the types of traffic enforcement methods and the range of options available to policing authorities to increase the overall efficiency (in terms of cost and human resources) and effectiveness of enforcement operations. The review examines many of the issues related to traffic law enforcement including the deterrence mechanism, the effectiveness of legislation and the type of legal sanctions administered to traffic offenders. The need to use enforcement in conjunction with educational and environmental/engineering strategies is also stressed. The need for publicity to support enforcement operations, police training and education programs is also documented. The review concludes with a series of recommendations regarding the most promising options available to authorities to improve the effectiveness of traffic law enforcement operations.







Road Traffic Law


Book Description

This practical guide to road traffic law covers all the principal aspects of roads policing in England and Wales, and has been fully updated for this second edition. This new edition covers significant changes in road traffic law, such as the enforcement of the Road Safety Act 2006 and updates to the Road Traffic Act 1988. The authors discuss matters such as causing death by careless driving, causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drinking or drugs, insurance and licensing, use of mobile telephones and control of a vehicle, and updates to construction and use rules. This book also features coverage of driver identification, alcohol and drug related offences, traffic signs and fixed penalties. Each chapter is written in non-technical language and combines explanations of the law with practical illustrations, examples, and FAQs on problems commonly faced by police officers engaged in road traffic law enforcement. The book focuses on those areas that are most frequently encountered by traffic officers in their everyday working lives, and is a must for all officers engaged in front-line traffic duties. The Blackstone's Practical Policing Series covers a range of topical subjects of vital importance in today's policing arena. Each practical guide contains clear and detailed explanations of the relevant legislation, accompanied by practical scenarios, illustrative diagrams and useful checklists. Packed with a wealth of information, the Blackstone's Practical Policing Series ensures you have ready access to the tools you need to take on any policing challenge.