NHTSA Form 1150 Coverletter and Questionnaire for Discontinued Automated

Title & Name

PD Name

Address

Dear _________,

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting a study of current and discontinued Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) programs throughout the United States. M. Davis and Company, Inc. (MDAC) is collecting the data on for NHTSA and your agency has been identified as one that recently discontinued the use of ASE.

In April 2008, NHTSA published Speed Enforcement Camera Systems Operational Guidelines. These Guidelines were meant to provide a list of “pros” and “cons” of various communication approaches and law enforcement practices and describe how jurisdictions have implemented and conducted their ASE programs.

The goal of this study is to develop a better understanding of existing ASE programs around the country as well as programs that have recently been terminated. There are no right and no wrong answers. Study results will be used by State and local agencies nationwide to improve or build new ASE programs. Your completion of this questionnaire will not only contribute to improving national safety efforts, it will offer other agencies contemplating the implementation of ASE programs the opportunity to learn from your experiences.

This project will not rank, grade, or otherwise directly compare ASE jurisdictions to each other. It is expected that the average time needed to complete this questionnaire will be about one hour.

NHTSA is interested in obtaining information about how your community’s ASE program was implemented as well as reasons why it was terminated. The attached questionnaire consists of a series of questions specifically directed at learning about the background and operational aspects of your ASE program. We ask that this written questionnaire be completed no later than (insert date) and mailed to M. Davis and Company in the envelope provided. After the MDAC research team has reviewed your responses to these questions, an ASE expert from the MDAC team may contact your agency to follow up on responses to this questionnaire if clarification or more detail is needed.

If you have questions regarding NHTSA’s goals in conducting this study, please contact Dr. Randolph Atkins, the NHTSA Contracting Officer Technical Representative for this project, at 202-366-5597 or randolph.atkins@dot.gov.

If you have questions on how to complete the questionnaire, please contact me. For your convenience, a PDF fillable form version of this questionnaire is also available. If you would prefer to complete a PDF version instead of a paper version, please send me an email or give me a call.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Miller,

Principal Investigator

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

3000 Market Street, Suite 202

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Tel: 303-460-7080, Email: richard@mdavisco.com

Paperwork Reduction Act Burden Statement

A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 2127-XXXX. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are (mandatory or voluntary). Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E., Washington, DC, 20590

OMB Control No. _____________________

OMB Expiration Date: _____________________

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Automated Speed Enforcement Census

Agency __________________________________________________________________________

Person Completing Questionnaire ____________________________________________________

Phone Number ______________________ Email Address _________________________________

CENSUS QUESTIONS

Please check the box (or boxes) within each question that best describes your answer.

Section A. General Considerations and Planning

1. What year did your community first implement ASE?

Program began ___________________________

2. What year did your community terminate ASE?

Program ended ___________________________

3. Before you had the opportunity to review this questionnaire, were you aware that the NHTSA Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) Guidelines existed?

• Yes IF YES, CONTINUE TO QUESTION A4

• No IF NO, SKIP TO QUESTION A5

• Don’t know IF DON’T KNOW, SKIP TO QUESTION A5

A4 If your ASE program was still in operation after April 2008, were the NHTSA Automated Speed Enforcement Guidelines used in any attempts to keep the ASE program going and avoid its termination?

• Yes (If yes, please elaborate)

• No

• Don’t know

A5 Who was primarily responsible for advocating for the implementation of ASE in your community? (Please check all that apply)

• Police department

• City manager/council

• Mayor/other elected officials

• Public demand

• ASE vendor(s)

• Other (please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

A6 Does your community use automated red light enforcement?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

If yes, approximately how many intersections are currently monitored?

____________________________________________________________________________________

A7 Prior to implementing ASE in your community, was a legal review or opinion provided by a person such as a city attorney or county attorney to clarify issues related to legal authority for use of ASE?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

A8 Does your community have a written strategic plan to reduce speeding violations and crashes?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

A9 Who provided the ASE enforcement location recommendations in your community? (Please check all that apply)

• Police department

• City traffic engineers

• ASE Vendor Company

• The public

• Others (please elaborate) _____________________________________________________

• Don’t know

A10 Which of the following factors, if known, played a role in the termination of your community’s ASE program? (Please check all that apply)

• Economics (i.e. not  sustainable due to costs of the program)

• Citizen referendum

• Litigation against the program

• Legislative action at the local level

• Legislative action at the state level

• Decision by Mayor, City Council, or other elected leaders

• Other (please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

Section B. Program Startup/Implementation

1. What factors (such as crash data, engineering data, revenue potential, etc.) were used to determine ASE deployment sites in your community?

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

B2 When implementing ASE programs, some communities form a committee or task force of stakeholders to increase interagency communication and community support. As part of implementing ASE in your community, was such a stakeholder committee formed?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

B3 What images did your agency collect for use in issuing ASE citations? (Please check all that apply)

• Driver image

• Front vehicle license plate

• Rear vehicle license plate

• Other (Please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B4 In your state, at the time your ASE program was in effect, what kinds of sanctions were authorized by law for ASE violations? (Please check all that apply)

• Civil violation only (i.e. monetary fine only)

• Misdemeanor or summary violation (i.e. monetary fine and/or driver license penalties)

• Defensive driving school

• Other (Please elaborate) ________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B5 In your community, what sanctions were applied for violations captured through ASE violations? (Please check all that apply)

• Civil violation only (i.e. monetary fine only)

• Misdemeanor or summary violation (i.e. monetary fine and/or driver license penalties)

• Defensive driving school

• Other (Please elaborate)________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B6 Under your ASE program, what other violations were authorized from the photographic evidence, if any? (Please check all that apply)

• Seat belt violations

• Driver license violations (i.e. suspended, revoked, etc.)

• Vehicle registration violations (i.e. expired, improper, etc.)

• Other violations (Please elaborate) _________________________________________________

• Not applicable

• Don’t know

B7 What types of ASE devices were used in your community? (Please check all that apply)

• Fixed enforcement (i.e. permanent pole-mounted cameras at non intersection locations). If so, at how many locations? __________________

• Semi-fixed enforcement (ground mounted cameras in secure housings that can remain on site for several days or weeks). If so, at how many locations? ________________

• Red Light “Speed On Green” enforcement? If so, at how many locations? __________________

• Mobile enforcement?

If so, how many mobile units? ____________ and at how many locations? ________________

• Other (Please elaborate) ______________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B8 Which of the following locations were used for ASE in your community? (Please check all that apply)

• School zones

• Residential neighborhoods

• Arterial roads

• Expressways

• Highway work zones

• Other (Please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B9 Did your agency use ASE strategies that included any of the following? (Please check all that apply)

• ASE permanent signs posted on major roads and entrances to the community

• ASE permanent signs posted in advance of fixed speed cameras (i.e. non intersection, permanent locations)

• ASE temporary signs posted in advance of mobile cameras

• No advance ASE signage

• Fully marked ASE mobile vehicles

• Unmarked ASE mobile vehicles

• Other (Please elaborate) ________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B10 Prior to an initial deployment of ASE on a specific roadway segment, did a traffic engineer conduct a study to determine if the speed limit was appropriately set?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

B11 Prior to an initial deployment of ASE on a specific roadway segment, were other measures first considered?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

If yes, what other measures are typically considered? _________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

B12 Who owned the ASE camera equipment used by your agency?

• Police Department

• ASE vendor

• Other (Please elaborate) _______________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B13 Who maintained the ASE camera equipment used by your agency?

• Police department

• ASE vendor

• Other (Please elaborate) ______________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B14 Who owned the ASE records and data for your program?

• Police Department

• ASE Vendor

• Other (Please elaborate) _______________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B15 Regarding your ASE program, how would you characterize the relationship between your agency and the courts that adjudicated ASE cases?

• Excellent (e.g., work closely, communicate frequently)

• Good (e.g., coordinate and communicate as needed)

• Fair (e.g., some limited coordination and communication)

• Poor (e.g., little or no communication or coordination)

• Don’t know

B16 Were your ASE data electronically encrypted from the capture point and placed onto secure networks?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

B17 When your community first implemented ASE, was an initial public information and education campaign conducted?

• Yes IF YES, CONTINUE TO QUESTION B18

• No IF NO, SKIP TO QUESTION B20

• Don’t know IF DON’T KNOW, SKIP TO QUESTION B20

B18 Which of the following elements were included in the initial public information and education campaign? (Please check all that apply)

• Promote awareness of ASE program

• Explain the dangers of speeding

• Identify camera-enforced locations

• Explain penalties for ASE violations

• Other (please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B19 Was the public information and education campaign consistently maintained throughout the life of the program?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

B20 What mechanisms did your agency use to inform the public about your ASE program? (Please check all that apply)

• Press conferences/interviews

• Press releases

• Video releases

• Agency website

• Other (Please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

B21 Was implementation of ASE in your community preceded by a publicized warning period?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

If yes, how long did that publicized warning period last? _________________________________

Section C. Operations

C1 Did your agency communicate the specific sites of ASE deployments in advance to the public?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

C2 Did your agency communicate the specific daily schedule of ASE deployments in advance to the public?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

C3 What was the enforcement speed threshold (i.e. lowest speed in miles per hour (MPH) over a posted speed limit at which a violation was recorded) for ASE deployments on the following location types? (For those that apply to your community, please specify the number for miles over the speed limit).

School zones _____MPH over speed limit

Residential neighborhoods _____MPH over speed limit

Major (arterial) roads _____MPH over speed limit

Expressways _____MPH over speed limit

Highway work zones _____MPH over speed limit

Other (please elaborate) ______________________________ _____MPH over speed limit

C4 Who staffed your mobile ASE units, if used? (Please check all that apply)

• Police officers

• Other police civilian employees

• ASE vendor

• Other (Please elaborate) ________________________________________________________

• Not applicable IF NOT APPLICABLE, SKIP TO QUESTION C9

C5 Did your agency use a checklist to ensure that ASE equipment was being properly operated during each mobile ASE enforcement deployment?

• Yes (If yes, please attach a copy of the checklist)

• No

• Don’t know

C6 What were the typical days and hours of operation for your ASE enforcement sites for mobile units, if used?

Sunday _________________________________________________________________________

Monday _________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday _________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday ______________________________________________________________________

Thursday ________________________________________________________________________

Friday ___________________________________________________________________________

Saturday _________________________________________________________________________

C7 For your mobile units (if applicable), what was the typical total number of daily ASE deployment hours at a site?

____________________________________________________________________________________

C8 Who had primary oversight of your agency’s ASE deployment schedule?

• Police department staff

• ASE vendor

• Other (please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

C9 Did the ASE equipment provide some type of immediate feedback to drivers indicating a violation has been recorded, for instance, through a camera flash, speed display board, or other means?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

C10 How often were traditional (lidar/radar) traffic enforcement officers posted at or near operational fixed or mobile ASE sites?

• Often

• Occasionally

• Rarely

• Never

• Don’t Know

C11 Did your agency review ASE data and/or crash data to determine whether enforcement should be shifted to other locations? (Please check all that apply)

• Yes, review speed data

• Yes, review crash data

• No

• Don’t Know

C12 Which of the following applied if no ASE driver image was taken and the vehicle’s registered owner contests the violation notice?

• Certification of innocence required from the registered owner

• Identification of the driver required from the registered owner

• Evidence that the vehicle was not in the legal possession of the registered owner

• Other (Please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Not applicable

• Don’t know

C13 Did your agency have one person in authority assigned to ensure all ASE activities were in compliance with laws and policies?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

If yes, please identify this person and provide contact information

Name & Title:_________________________________________________________________________

Phone Number:_______________________________________________________________________

Email address:________________________________________________________________________

Section D. Violation Processing, Delivery and Adjudication

(Please attach a sample violation notice to this questionnaire. Thank you)

D1 Were any of the following internal quality control procedures employed by your jurisdiction? (Please check all that apply)

• All violations were reviewed and certified by at least two individuals

• Police department supervisors spot-checked violations deemed valid by processors

• Other (please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• None

• Don’t know

D2 Which of the following did your agency employ to determine whether you will issue an ASE violation? (Please check all that apply)

• Vehicle/registration plate matching

• Gender matching

• Image quality standards

• Other (please elaborate) ________________________________________________________

• None

• Don’t know

D3 Briefly describe your agency’s policy on the maximum time targeted for processing ASE violations?

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

D4 Who had final responsibility for reviewing of ASE violations to determine if a violation notice should be issued?

• Police officer

• Civilian employee of Police department

• ASE vendor employee

• Don’t know

• Other (please elaborate)

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

D5 Did your ASE program use personal service (i.e. a hand delivered notice to appear) as an option for ASE violations when there is no response to the mailed violation?

• Yes, the majority of mailed ASE violations not responded to by the alleged violator were followed up by personal service

• Yes, selected mailed ASE violations not responded to by the alleged violator were followed up by personal service.

• No, our ASE program did not involve personal service of ASE violations.

• Other (please elaborate) ________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

• Don’t know

D6 For contested court appearances involving mobile unit ASE violations, if applicable, who appeared in court on behalf of the agency? (Please check all that apply)

• Police officer who staffed the mobile unit

• Civilian employee of Police department who staffed the mobile unit

• Vendor employee who staffed the mobile unit

• Police officer who reviewed the ASE violation

• Civilian employee of Police department who reviewed the ASE violation

• Vendor employee who reviewed the ASE violation

• Other (please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Not applicable

• Don’t know

D7 For contested court appearances involving either fixed unit, semi-fixed unit, or red light intersection “speed on green” ASE violations, if applicable, who appeared in court on behalf of the agency? (Please check all that apply)

• Police officer who reviewed the ASE violation

• Civilian employee of Police department who reviewed the ASE violation

• Vendor employee who reviewed the ASE violation

• Other (please elaborate) _________________________________________________________

• Not applicable

• Don’t know

D8 When issuing violation notices to vehicles owned by a government agency or a business, did the ASE agency request identification of the person driving at the time of the violation?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

D9 Were calls from citizens regarding your ASE program reviewed by program managers to identify recurring concerns about the ASE program?

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

IF YOUR ASE PROGRAM WAS LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD WHEN IT WAS TERMINATED, PLEASE SKIP TO D12

D10 Over the last complete year of operation, how many total ASE violations were forwarded to alleged violators? ______________________________________________________________

D11 Of those ASE violations, how many violators paid a fine? _____________________________

D12 What were the fines assessed for the following ASE violations, if applicable? (Please insert dollar amount on blank lines))

• School zones $___________

• Residential neighborhoods $___________

• Arterial roads $___________

• Expressways $___________

• Highway work zones $___________

• Other (Please elaborate) ______________________________________ $____________

• Don’t know

D13 How was the revenue generated from your ASE program distributed? (Please check all that apply.

• Police department – traffic safety fund ______________%

• Police department – general fund ______________%

• Local government _____________%

• County government _____________%

• State government _____________%

• ASE vendor _____________%

• Other (please elaborate) ______________________________________ ______________%

• Don’t know

D14   Over the most recent complete year of operation by your ASE program, what approximate percentage of all speeding violations issued by your agency (including ASE, RADAR, LIDAR, air speed timing, vehicle pacing, and other traditional enforcement methods) were ASE violations?

• 1-20%

• 21-40%

• 41-60%

• 61-80%

• 81-100%

• Don’t know

Section E. Program Evaluation

E1 Did your agency conduct an evaluation of the effects of ASE on crashes?

• Yes, conducted an evaluation

• No

• Don’t know

If yes, please provide a copy of the evaluation

E2 Did your agency conduct an evaluation of the effects of ASE on traffic speeds?

• Yes, conducted an evaluation

• No

• Don’t know

If yes, please provide a copy of the evaluation

E3 Did your agency conduct an evaluation of public acceptance of ASE?

• Yes, conducted an evaluation

• No

• Don’t know

If yes, please provide a copy of the evaluation

E4 Please take this opportunity to add any comments about your ASE program that you think are relevant that were not addressed in the preceding questions. (Please attach additional pages, if necessary)

For your convenience, here is a list of the items requested in the questionnaire as attachments, if available:

• ASE equipment checklist for each mobile ASE enforcement deployment

• Sample ASE violation notice

• Evaluation of the effects of ASE on crashes,

• Evaluation of the effects of ASE on traffic speeds

• Evaluation of public acceptance of ASE

SUPPLEMENTARY CONTACT INFORMATION

Please provide the names and contact information of any additional individuals whose input you believe would be beneficial to this very important NHTSA data collection effort. (Please attach additional pages, if necessary)

Name & Title:_________________________________________________________________________

Phone Number:_______________________________________________________________________

Email address:________________________________________________________________________

Name & Title:_________________________________________________________________________

Phone Number:_______________________________________________________________________

Email address:________________________________________________________________________

Name & Title:_________________________________________________________________________

Phone Number:_______________________________________________________________________

Email address:________________________________________________________________________

Name & Title:_________________________________________________________________________

Phone Number:_______________________________________________________________________

Email address:________________________________________________________________________

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, we would like to thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire on your Automated Speed Enforcement program. Please mail this questionnaire in the postage-paid envelope provided to:

M. Davis and Company, Inc.

3000 Market Street, Suite 202

Philadelphia, PA 19102

Attention: NHTSA ASE Census