Traffic police (also known astraffic officers,[1]traffic enforcement units,traffic cops,traffic monitors, ortraffic enforcers) are units andagencies who enforcetraffic laws andmanage traffic. Traffic police help to assist inpatrolling highways, directingtraffic and address traffic infractions. They may be a separate agency from a main police agency, a unit or division within a police agency, or a type of assignment issued to officers; they can also be part of atransportation authority orhighway authority.
It has been noted that:
...traffic police, who are regarded as peripheral to most police forces, participate in both authoritative intervention and symbolic justice. Perhaps alone of all the assignments, traffic police are full-service police. They are different from the rest, however, because their work is limited to a particular venue—namely, publicthoroughfares—and to particular people—namely, those who operate motor vehicles. But in terms of work, traffic police aredetectives as well as patrol officers.[2]
.jpeg)
Traffic police have existed in some form for nearly three centuries. Possibly the first traffic police force was established inLondon,England in 1722, when theLord Mayor of London, in response to an increase in traffic during the 18th century, appointed three men to position themselves onLondon Bridge and ensure traffic kept to theleft side of the road and did not stop in traffic, with the aim of ensuring traffic could continue to flow unabated.[3]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Traffic police" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
One of the oldest and most basic forms of traffic policing is directing traffic. This is conducted by a traffic officer (usually only one) who stands in the middle of anintersection, usinghand signals and occasionally also awhistle, a handheldtraffic sign (usually astop sign), or a handheldlight stick to manage the flow of vehicles and pedestrians. The officer directing traffic is usually a foot patrol officer or anauxiliary officer, though officers with vehicles may also direct traffic, parking their vehicles out of the way. Officers directing traffic typically wearhigh-visibility clothing to provide visibility and avoid being struck by traffic, ranging from brightly colored uniforms (historically a whitepatrol cap orhelmet withgloves) to neon-colored vests and coats withretroreflective strips.
Though common worldwide before traffic signs andtraffic lights became commonplace, traffic direction is now rare in places where traffic lights are the primary mode of traffic management, where it is mostly limited to incidents where roadways are closed or obstructed, traffic is heavier than usual, or traffic lights are disabled or otherwise unavailable, such as during apower outage or at the scene of atraffic collision. Traffic direction continues to be a mainstay in places where traffic lights and signs are not used, or where traffic is so dense that directing traffic is more effective than relying on lights and signs alone.
One of the most common forms of traffic policing in the modern day is vehicular enforcement. This is conducted by police officers using vehicles, typicallycars ormotorcycles but occasionally alsoaircraft orwatercraft, who directly enforce vehicular traffic. Vehicular enforcement is often very similar to regular police patrols, and may be a standard police responsibility in some agencies. Vehicular enforcement usually consists of the enforcement ofspeed limits,registration andlicensing,driving under the influence,commercial vehicle inspection, and other vehicle-related laws and crimes. The most common methods of vehicular enforcement aretraffic stops,checkpoints, and "watching traffic" along theshoulder of roadways usingradar speed guns.
Some roads may be patrolled by aircraft, a declaration usually posted along such a roadway by the agency operating said aircraft. Though some motorists view this as mere deception used to promote slowing down, police aircraft actually do patrol some freeways, albeit rarely due to the costs in operating aircraft for lengthy periods.[4][5] To measure a vehicle's speed, the pilots calculate the time it takes to travel between a set of road markings. Should the pilots determine the vehicle is speeding or violating a law, they follow it until a police unit in a land vehicle arrives to initiate a traffic stop.[4][5]
Remote traffic enforcement is conducted usingtraffic enforcement cameras typically installed and managed by a transportation authority, highway authority, or police agency along roadways. These camera feeds are then monitored for visible crimes or incidents such as speeding,reckless driving, ortraffic collisions, to which the proper services are then dispatched if needed. Some traffic cameras canautomatically read plates to check for registration and licensing infractions orwants andwarrants, or even fine the registered owner of the vehicle without having to dispatch a police unit to issue aticket.
In the 2010s, theCongolese National Police deployed automated traffic police robots. Created byThérèse Kirongozi, an engineer from theDemocratic Republic of the Congo,[6] the tallsolar-poweredaluminum robots are positioned in intersections and are able to rotate, but cannot actually move; rather, they containclosed-circuit televisioncameras in their "eyes" that record offenders for human traffic officers to handle.[7] The robots also carry red and green lights to direct traffic, and can speak to pedestrians and help them cross roads.[8][9] Five robots were installed in intersections inKinshasa by 2015, with thirty more planned for highway patrol purposes.[8]
Traffic policing is, as its name implies, usually the responsibility of police. Traffic police are often either independent police agencies, units within police agencies, or an assignment given to police officers or auxiliaries. Separate units and agencies usually have the same or similarenforcement powers as regular police, such asarrest powers, though they may or may not lackfirearms.
Some traffic officers are not part of police agencies, and are instead part of transportation authorities, highway authorities, or regulatory boards. They often work alongside police, and may call upon them to handle emergencies or road crimes.
In theUnited Kingdom, England'sNational Highways employstraffic officers, as does theWelsh Government, who also employtraffic officers; both are responsible for traffic management androadside assistance ontrunk roads in their respective jurisdictions. In thePhilippines, theLand Transportation Office (LTO) andLand Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the agencies under theDepartment of Transportation, enforces a range of vehicular laws. In theUnited States, somedepartment of transportation (DOT) agencies are able to direct traffic, provide roadside assistance, and enforce traffic laws.
In some instances, civilians and unsworn personnel may be enlisted by police for auxiliary purposes, including traffic policing, while others may take it upon themselves to direct traffic in the absence of the proper authorities. For example, during theNortheast blackout of 2003, citizens inToronto andNew York City directed traffic while traffic lights were disabled.[10][11] However, in some jurisdictions such asOntario, such practices are illegal, and only law enforcement and authorized personnel can direct traffic due to liability concerns.[12][13]
In the United States, there have been some efforts to transfer traffic stop authority to some DOTs as part ofpolice reform initiatives, most prominently inBerkeley, California, which planned to establish "BerkDOT" to enforce minor traffic violations while still allowing theBerkeley Police Department to handle major violations and road crimes.[14] Proponents argue that shifting traffic enforcement from police to DOTs would reduce the chance of escalation in traffic stops, keep traffic enforcement related to traffic without policecriminal record checks, and allow police to focus more on criminal concerns.[14][15][16]
