The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office currently serves approximately 253,000 residents encompassed in 854 square miles. State roadways account for 2,028 miles of additional roadway.

Responsibilities of the Traffic Unit include:

• • covering traffic crashes and incidents on approximately 1,600 miles of parish-maintained roadways, to include approximately 836 subdivisions.

• • covering crashes and traffic incidents on parish roadways.

• • covering crashes and traffic incidents on state highways and interstates when the State Police are unavailable.

• • tasked with oversight of sixteen (16) School Crossing Guards, along with twelve (12) wrecker companies assigned to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office wrecker rotation.

The STPSO Traffic also:

• • Investigates all fatal crashes on parish roadways.

• • Investigates the majority of crashes on parish roadways (60% – 70%).

• • Searches and assists in locating missing persons or bodies.

• • Leads the majority of the funeral escorts parish wide, at no cost to citizens.

• • Completes vehicle inspections as requested.

• • Investigates hit & run crashes, to include follow-up investigations forwarded from Criminal Patrol for closure.

• • Personnel assigned as Field Breath Administrators for the Intoxilyzer instruments.

• • Personnel assigned as Drug Recognition Experts (4 deputies, one of which is an instructor for the program).

• • Personnel assigned to oversee/manage the federally funded Louisiana Highway Safety grant.

• • Performs traffic enforcement and routine patrol; operates radar equipment; monitors traffic movement; reports hazards, such as blockages of street view, missing signage, holes, dangerous conditions, etc.

• • Installs traffic monitoring devices (JAMAR and/or Stalker Speed Trailer) in complaint areas to validate complaints and determine prime enforcement times.

• • Assists with Sex Offender Registry compliance three times per year.

• • Utilizes a police motorcycle / car to effectively enforce traffic laws within the parish, and through high complaint areas, to include parish roadways, highways and subdivisions.

• • Assumes control at traffic accidents to maintain traffic flow, assist accident victims, and investigates causes of crashes.

• • Conducts on scene investigations and follow-up investigations to develop suspects and makes arrests of offenders.

• • Documents criminal case reports, arrest reports, complaint reports, traffic accident reports for incidents handled during the shift.

• • Responds to life and property threatening complaints, such as robbery, burglary, family disturbances, theft, vandalism, arson, riot, fire, etc.

• • Provides assistance to the Criminal Patrol Division with calls for service, backup when other officers need assistance, and when shifts are shorthanded.

• • Assists multiple agencies with funerals, Mardi Gras parades, fairs and festivals.

• • Assists the St. Tammany Parish Training Division with teaching new recruits as well as veteran deputies in the area of Standardized Field Sobriety, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), LACRASH, LaDriving, Alert Active Shooter Response, High Water Vehicle Operation, and Defensive Driving.

• • Responsible for all wrecker companies currently on the STPSO wrecker log, to include annual and periodic inspections of their wrecker yards and tow trucks.

• • Responsible for coverage in school zones, in the absence of school crossing guards, as well as responding to issues involving school zones.

• • Certifies / trains the majority of police agencies in the parish on police motorcycles.

• • In addition to the duties listed above, the Traffic Unit is tasked with assisting for all major events to include, fairs, festivals, natural disasters, and all extraordinary events.

• • Supervises all school crossing guards.

• Certified 2 deputies on police motorcycles
• 3 deputies assisted with the inception of the STPSO’s Criminal Investigation Unit.
• 3 deputies were certified as Child Passenger Safety Seat Installation technicians
• 6 safety checkpoints conducted by Child Passenger Safety Technicians
• SLEC became a Child Safety Seat Fitting Station
• Completed 6 training days as required
• Completed 4 traffic related operations to include;
  • multiple child safety seat checkpoints
  • hands-free enforcement in school zones
  • neighborhood speeding
  • stop sign enforcement
• Acquired a Stalker SAM-R Speed Trailer, which has been highly sought by HOA’s for speed deterrence
• Four deputies completed the beginning half of an 8-week program for crash reconstruction.
• 1 deputy accepted the task of becoming the Child Passenger Safety Seat Regional Coordinator for the Troop L area
• Assisted with instructing the department Standardized Field Sobriety, and ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement) procedures.
• Worked with the school board transportation department to assist with traffic flow at several schools.
• Attended several HOA meetings to address traffic related problems & provide solutions

• Complete the final 3 courses towards crash reconstruction certification for 2 deputies
• Certify 1 deputy as a police motorcycle instructor to replace 2 vacancies created by a retirement and a transfer.
• Continue bi-monthly motorcycle training for a total of 6 training days per year.
• Further expand the Traffic Division’s relationship within subdivisions & HOA’s.
• Formulate four traffic related operations:
  • Child Seat Installation check station
  • Hands free enforcement in the school zones
  • Distracted driver enforcement
• Interdepartmental motorcycle safety instruction and demonstration