C.A.R.E.
The Community Accident Reduction through Education Team (CARE) was established in 1995 in an attempt to reduce the number of injury accidents in Coeur d’Alene. Using statistical data, CARE Officers work targeted areas experiencing high accident rates or other traffic problems.
CDAPD Motorcycle Patrol
The Coeur d’Alene Police Department debuted the Motor Unit June 17th 2005 during the Car d’Alene. The planning for a motorcycle unit was first initiated in the fall of 2004. Officer Bill Tilson under the direction of Captain Steve Childers researched the motor programs of several other police departments. Captain Childers presented the research to Chief Carpenter who also embraced the program. The police department decided to participate in a lease program provided by Bear Tooth Harley owned by Barry Usher in Billings Montana. Under this program the police department has acquired two 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycles for $1.00 each. Bear Tooth Harley has been very supportive of law enforcement with their lease program. We look forward to continuing the motor unit under a lease option in future years.
Coeur d’Alene Police purchased the necessary equipment such as radio’s, sirens, lights, uniforms, gear, and training motorcycles. Because of the lease program there is a savings to the City of approximately sixteen thousand dollars per motorcycle. Next years motorcycles will utilize the equipment provided on the current motorcycles. Through the research done for the Coeur d’Alene Police history project, it was discovered that the police department utilized Harley Davidson motorcycles in the patrol division in the early 1950’s.
The Harley Davidson model was chosen because it’s more like the vintage bikes in the original police concept of a motor unit. This image fits well with the atmosphere of the City and the special events hosted here such as the Car d’Alene and the classic wooden boat show.
The Motor Unit is a function of the CARE unit which is an acronym for Community Accident Reduction through Education. The focus of the CARE team is accident reduction in high impact areas through traffic education and enforcement.
In 2004 Coeur d’Alene was the 6th highest in the State of Idaho overall for injury accidents. Coeur d’Alene is the second highest for accidents in the state when compared by city populations. A shinning feature of the motorcycle is its mobility that allows for maneuvering better in high accident areas while conducting traffic enforcement.
Captain Childers stated “Officer Tilson did an outstanding job putting the information together. This concept was brought to the Mayor, Council, and City Administration and they were visionary in their support of the program."
Officers Nick Knoll and Tim Vulles completed a two week certified motorcycle training academy made available to Coeur d’Alene Police by Spokane City Police and Spokane County Sheriffs Department. The Motor Unit participates in events such as Ironman and the 4th of July Parade.
Seatbelt Emphasis
Idahoans are encouraged to “Click It, Don’t Risk It!” as part of a campaign to save lives by increasing seat belt and child safety seat use. The Coeur d’Alene Police Department along with law enforcement agencies throughout Idaho will step up enforcement patrols Feb. 7-19. Failure to be properly restrained violates Idaho law requiring all occupants of a vehicle to be buckled up and puts all vehicle occupants at risk of death or injury in the event of a crash. Idaho law requires:
* All occupants must be properly restrained.
* All adult violators, 18 and older, will receive a $10 citation.
* Adult drivers with any unbelted occupants under 18 years of age will receive a $10 citation.
* Drivers under 18 years old will be cited if anyone under 18 years old is not properly restrained. The fine is $51.50.
In addition to an emphasis on seat belt violations, officers will be on the lookout for children who are not properly restrained. Idaho law requires children to be in child safety seats until they reach 4 years old AND 40 pounds. However, parents are encouraged to keep their children in booster seats until they reach 8 years old and 80 pounds. A booster seat elevates a child so a seat belt can fit correctly. Most seat belts are designed to protect an average–sized adult male. Young children using only seat belts are at risk of injuries to the abdomen and spine, and are four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury in a crash if they are not secured in a booster seat.The fine for failure to use a child safety seat is $69.00.
Of the 239 motor vehicle occupants killed in Idaho in 2003, only 89 (37 percent) were properly restrained. The national seat belt usage rate is 80 percent while Idaho’s seat belt usage rate is just 74 percent. Only 62 percent of pickup occupants buckle up in Idaho.
In Kootenai County in 2003, there were 8 motor vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes. 5 were not properly restrained. Of the 107 people seriously injured in crashes, 28 were not restrained. The comprehensive cost savings if all had been properly restrained was approx $9,709,147 in 2003.
ITD is funding an extensive, statewide paid media campaign including television, radio, and billboard advertising to inform the public of the increased patrols and importance of buckling up. The Coeur d’Alene Police Department receives funding to aide in their efforts to save lives by conducting safety restraint enforcement patrols. These funds, received from NHTSA, are dedicated to increasing safety restraint use in Idaho. If you have any questions regarding this campaign please contact Nick Knoll in the CARE Division at 676-5804.
CARE's primary goal is to reduce injury crashes through strict enforcement and education. Specifically, they identify areas in the City of Coeur d'Alene in which there is a high crash rate, evaluate the causes for those crashes, and focus directed enforcement attention on those areas. When a CARE Officer makes a traffic stop they generally may offer the violator two options; one option is to receive a uniform citation (enforcement), the other is to receive a traffic school summons (education). To be offered a traffic school summons the violator has to meet specific criteria, and they must make the decision on the street at the time of the contact. The traffic school summons allows the violator to attend a regularly scheduled class to receive updated refresher drivers training. There is a non-refundable cost currently of $75.00, and if a violator fails to sign up for or attend the class in a specified amount of time the summons will be replaced by a uniform citation.