Full Notification

Citizens,

We used seized drug funds to purchase a SMART (Speed Monitoring Awareness Radar Trailer)unit in October to assist us in conducting speed and traffic studies in problematic areas to include residential zones. The unit was delivered in late November and is now ready for field use.

We began compiling a list of areas where we have received complaints in the past and of those areas where the unit was requested when the announcement was made that we ordered it and we are now in the process of going down the list until all of those areas are visited. We invite all of our citizens to send an email to [email protected] in order to request the unit and we will add you to our list.

Some of the areas we will be deploying to this week include River Oaks Subdivision, Castlewood Road, Castle Lake Subdivision, Swanson Road, and Dogwood Trail. If your area is listed above, you should see the unit soon.

Our SMART unit allows us to accomplish several important tasks. First, it counts each passing vehicle and records their speed. Second, we can download the collected data into a software program that creates intuitive charts and graphs that tell us exactly when the most speed violations occur in the study area so that we will know when to send officers out for enforcement. Finally, the unit has a large message board, which allows us to display custom and pre-loaded messages to passing motorists - including their speed and a warning to slow down if they are going above the posted speed.

After a study is completed in a given area, agency supervisors will share the data with their officers and assign them to the areas for enforcement if necessary. These actions are intended to ensure the safety of our citizens and other motorists.

Speeding in neighborhoods is one of our most prevalent complaints from citizens and we hope that this new tool will assist us in responding more effectively and efficiently. We have also applied to the State of Georgia to add more streets to our Radar permit so that our officers can enforce speeding violations in our neighborhoods more effectively. We hope to have a response from the DOT on this issue very soon.

Have a safe week!