Best Award That Their Money Can Buy For The Motori$ts of Quincy I$........

By Rodney Hart
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
The Quincy Police Department has been chosen as the third-best department in the nation for traffic safety in 2005 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police also honored QPD with the 2005 Rookie of the Year award.
The international award will be presented to QPD representatives Oct. 27 in Boston, while the Illinois award will be given Aug. 3 in Chicago.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Challenge is designed to recognize law enforcement agencies addressing traffic safety issues. Each year since 1975, an average of 40,000 Americans lose their lives as the result of traffic crashes.
Agencies provide certain policies, discuss and document officer training, elaborate on public information and education efforts, report on enforcement activities and articulate how effective they believe their efforts were in these areas.
Competing with other agencies in the state with regard to size and type of agency, each application is separated based on the number of sworn officers. Judges then review each application, carefully assigning points based on set criteria.
Quincy Police Department Traffic Safety Officer Neal Meyer said there were 634 accidents in Quincy during the first six months of this year, down from 732 during the same period last year.
There were 1,527 reported vehicle accidents in 2005, down from 1,667 the year before.
"We were shocked and pleased to receive the awards," Deputy Chief Curt Kelty said. "We thought we might get something, but we didn't know it would be this."
Kelty said the department has placed an increased emphasis on traffic safety.
"When we compared traffic safety to more traditional crimes, we saw we were experiencing more problems in the traffic enforcement," he said.
Kelty said the awards are a result of the department's "continuing endeavors to educate and inform our officers and our community about the importance of traffic safety in the areas of impaired driving, speeding and occupant restraint."
The department has put increased emphasis on traffic safety. Programs like the school safety speed zones, where signs were put up and 20 miles per hour speed limits are strictly enforced, have helped educate the public.
Kelty said lowering speeds and increasing seat belt use lower accident numbers.
Meyer said one-third of all accidents are rear-end collisions, with almost all rear-end accidents caused by excessive speeds.
"We have done things like the school safety zones and seat belt enforcement that have made drivers more aware and safer," Meyer said.