State grant helps Tempe PD face challenges of growth in tourism

Randy Wilson knows by experience the challenge that Tempe faces as a byproduct of the huge and frequent influx of visitors that come to enjoy the city’s recreational offerings, a virtual smorgasbord of fun, dining and—no surprise—drinking.

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That’s why the veteran Tempe PD lieutenant, whose responsibilities include a broad swath of south, central and north Tempe, says he’s delighted with the more than a quarter of a million dollars that will be coming to TPD coffers this year.

Wilson, who oversees the Tempe Police Traffic Bureau, headed up a team that recently applied for—and won—$260,000 in grants from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety under the agency’s director, Alberto Gutier.

To Wilson, it was a welcome announcement but not an unexpected one.

Tempe PD has a history of focusing on prevention, education and child safety, coupled with an aggressive DUI enforcement program, he said.

It was this commitment to community safety and successful operations, said Wilson, that apparently proved an irrefutable justification for this year’s grant.

Now, he says, the money will supplement the department’s existing budget allocations and make it possible for officers to launch safety campaigns where, and importantly when, they’re needed. That means not having to stand in line for leftover city funding, thereby being able to take action more quickly. “By having this (state-allocated) resource, we can much more efficiently complement our on-duty staffing any time we learn of a situation that requires attention,” said Wilson, a member of the Tempe department for the past 20 years.

As to how newly developing traffic conditions come to the department’s attention, Wilson said the public gets much of the credit.

“The citizens of Tempe are our eyes and ears, and it’s people in our community that we depend on heavily for letting us know when our attention is needed,” he said.

Yet another collateral benefit, says Wilson, is the added exposure police have to criminal activity that typically wouldn’t be visible to patrols looking primarily for traffic offenses.

“People call in and give us information about all sorts of concerns,” Wilson said. “When we’re looking at traffic issues in areas where certain occurrences of crime have been identified, we can often marry those up.

“After our patrol officers have been doing traffic stops, for example, a detective looking for a certain make and model of car can ask, “Did any of you make a stop of such a vehicle?”

While the Highway Safety Department funding demonstrates the strength of Tempe’s collaborative relationships, those interactions come from many corners, according to Wilson.

“We partner with Tempe Fire, Medical, Rescue; ASU; and other law enforcement agencies across the metro area,” he said. “Our goal, especially among the officers who plan and work these safety campaigns, is to prevent deaths and serious injury,” he said.

This cooperation helps Tempe meet the challenge of blending the city’s welcoming amenities with the fact that those amenities can pose unique challenges for law enforcement.

“Our goal is to help Tempe be able to welcome millions of tourists, visitors and students from across the globe to have fun, but at the same time keep them safe,” said Wilson.

As to the police department’s longtime reputation for working effectively with Gutier’s office, he said he feels Tempe PD is never far out of that state agency’s eye when it comes time to allocate funding among law enforcement enterprises around the state.

“We have been really good stewards of their money.”

Programs aided by the grant include:

DUI/Impaired Driving Enforcement – $100,000; Objective:  To reduce the incidence of alcohol and drug related driving, fatalities and injuries through enforcement, education and public awareness throughout our community.

STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program) Enforcement – $80,000; Objective: To reduce the incidence of traffic fatalities and injuries resulting from speeding, aggressive driving, red light running and other forms of risky driving behavior through enforcement, education and public awareness throughout our community.

Occupant Protection Enforcement – $20,000; Objective:  To improve the use of seatbelt and child safety seats, to reduce the number of fatalities, and injuries due to vehicular crashes in our community.

Loud Party Patrol and DUI Suppression – $60,000; Objective:  To reduce the incidence of alcohol and drug related driving, fatalities and injuries through enforcement, education and public awareness throughout our community, including our existing Covert Underage Buyer Program in partnership with the Arizona Department of Liquor License, Control and Investigations and Tempe businesses, to limit the purchase of alcohol with fraudulent ID in liquor establishments.

 

How to alert Tempe police to conditions you feel may deserve special attention:

Hotline: 480-858-7367 or Web: www.tempepd.gov/city-hall/police and click on “complaint or concern” tab.

 

Messages left on the hotline number are recorded and listened to daily.

 

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3 motor officers and take area called stem, officer once assigned will call that person), go out and detail that. People don’t always realize how important they are in that equation.

 

 

randy_wilson@tempe.gov, lt. ——-

www.tempe.gov/city-hall/police

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