Program Authorization: R.S. 30:1150.65: R.S. 32:1504-1517; R.S. 32:1711 et seq.; R.S. 40:147; R.S. 40:1379.8; R.S. 51:579
The mission of the Traffic Enforcement Program in the Office of State Police is to ensure the safety and security of the people in the state through enforcement, education, and provision of other essential public safety services.
The goals of the Traffic Law Enforcement Program in the Office of State Police are:
The Traffic Enforcement Program includes the following activities: Troop Traffic Enforcement, Transportation and Environmental Safety Section, and Safety Enforcement.
Troop Traffic Enforcement essentially was established by Act 120 of 1922, which created the Office of the State Police and charged it with enforcing laws regulating the use of highways. Troopers assigned to troop locations are responsible for promoting highway safety through education and enforcement of the Highway Regulatory Act in addition to enforcing all criminal laws. Their primary duties include investigating vehicle crashes and protect the public both on and off the highway. (For a comparison of traffic trooper manpower in southeastern states, see the table under the Office of State Police agency description.)
The Transportation and Environmental Safety Section (TESS) of the Traffic Enforcement Program enforces regulations and requirements related to hazardous materials, motor carrier safety, towing and recovery, metal control, and explosives control, and weights and standards.
Hazardous Materials Reporting: The federal Hazardous Materials Information, Development, Preparedness and Response Act and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) require that regulated businesses report on an annual basis the presence of hazardous substances at their places of business. These acts require the reporting of any releases of these substances into the environment. The TESS Right-to-Know Unit, functioning as the repository of this data, is charged with the collection, maintenance, and coordination of all data required by these acts and with ensuring public availability of this data as required by law.
Transportation of Hazardous Materials: Act 83 of 1979 authorizes and directs the Department of Public Safety to promulgate necessary rules and regulations and to oversee compliance governing the transportation of hazardous materials, freight, and passengers. The unit provides emergency response to chemical emergencies at industrial sites or sites related to transportation by highway, rail or pipeline. It further ensures that all carrier transportation meet standards of safe operation, manufacture, and maintenance. This is accomplished by roadside inspections conducted on commercial transport vehicles that transport hazardous freight, material, and passengers and by inspections of rail transportation facilities.
Motor Carrier Safety: The Motor Carrier Safety Program is an international, coordinated, and uniform program of inspection and enforcement activities related to intrastate and interstate commercial vehicles and drivers for safety violations. The program is designed to immediately place defective drivers and defective vehicles out of service, if necessary, until defects have been corrected. The agenda provides for safety and compliance reviews of transportation facilities, as mandated by federal rule. The laws governing the program allow for the assessment of civil penalties. One of the unit's major goals is to begin accident report development and revisions to correlate commercial accident data with motor carrier safety.
Right-To-Know: Act 435 of 1985 provides for the creation of the Hazardous Materials Information Development Preparedness and Response Advisory Board; provides administrative functions for the Department of Public Safety and Corrections; provides requirements for certain owners and operators of certain businesses to report information about certain hazardous materials; and creates the Hazardous Materials Information and Development Preparedness and Response Fund to be used to provide the functions as outlined in the act.
Towing and Recovery: R.S. 32:1711 et. seq. authorizes the TESS Towing and Recovery Unit to regulate the towing and wrecker industry and provide rules and regulation pertaining to the towing and storage of vehicles. The unit monitors and regulates the industry statewide.
Metal Control: Under the authority of R.S. 51:579, the TESS is responsible for maintenance of records concerning all sales and purchases of certain precious metals. This is accomplished through the monitoring of the scrap and metal dealers in the state to ensure that proper records are kept.
Explosives Control: Under the authority of R.S. 40:147, the TESS is responsible for inspection of explosive materials storage magazines and investigation of theft or illegal possession of explosives. The TESS also provides specialized technical expertise and equipment (specifically bomb technicians who can defuse and dispose of a bomb) to local governments that may be confronted with the illegal use of explosives.
Weights and Standards: Under the authority of R.S. 40:1379.8, the TESS is responsible for enforcing weight, size, vehicle license and fuel tax regulations on all state and federal highways.
The Safety Enforcement Section is comprised of commissioned police officers who are responsible for enforcement of the driver's license suspension and liability insurance laws; administration of the Motor Vehicle Inspection Program; investigation of driver's license and vehicle title fraud complaints; auditing of commercial driver's license third party testers; and custodial duties for driver's license records for all Louisiana courts.
OBJECTIVES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Unless otherwise indicated, all objectives are to be accomplished during or by the end of FY 1999-2000. Performance indictors are made up of two parts: name and value. The indicator name describes what is being measured. The indicator value is the numeric value or level achieved within a given measurement period. For budgeting purposes, performance indicator values are shown for the prior fiscal year, the current fiscal year, and alternative funding scenarios (continuation budget level and Executive Budget recommendation level) for the ensuing fiscal year (the fiscal year of the budget document).
RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR THE PROGRAM
This program is funded with State General Fund, Interagency Transfers, Fees and Self-generated Revenues, Statutory Dedications and Federal Funds. The Interagency Transfers are federal grants for specialized traffic enforcement from the Highway Safety Commission and the Department of Environmental Quality. The Fees and Self-generated Revenue is primarily from a $5.50 assessment of all motor vehicle inspections and other motor vehicle fees. Other significant Fees and Self-Generated Revenue is from fees and fines from the Hazardous Materials Transportation and Motor Carrier Safety Program. The Statutory Dedications are derived from the Louisiana Transportation Trust Fund, Riverboat Gaming Enforcement Fund, Right-to-Know Fund, Weights and Standards Mobile Police Force Fund, and the Louisiana Towing and Recovery Fund. (Per R.S. 39:32B.(8), see table below for a listing of expenditures out of each statutory dedicated fund.) Federal Funds are from the Department of Transportation for the Motor Carrier Safety Program.
The total means of financing for this program is recommended at 105.0% of the existing operating budget. It represents 67.6% of the total request ($64,673,720) for this program. Increases in this program are due to the annualization of a salary increase for commissioned personnel, expansion of the Right-to-Know/Hazardous Material section, increased funding for acquisitions and increased overtime funding. Funding for nonrecurring carry forward has also been eliminated from the budget.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
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Medical services for psychological testing and counseling for troopers |
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OTHER CHARGES
ACQUISITIONS AND MAJOR REPAIRS
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$43,400 |
Computer equipment for Right-to-Know enhancement (scanner, 2 laptop computers, 2 printers, digital camera and CD ryder) |
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$239,453 |
Major repairs for Region III and Troops C, D, F, G, L (air conditioner chiller, roof repairs, and replace gutters) |
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