Crime & Safety

Harford County Law Enforcement Team Up On Traffic

The year-old Harford County Traffic Task Force has lead to more than more than 6,800 traffic citations.

Harford County has a —and local law enforcement want the public to know they're taking it seriously.

A main part of their efforts include the Harford County Traffic Task Force—involving the sheriff's office, Aberdeen Police Department, , Havre de Grace Police Department and the Maryland State Police (Bel Air and JFK Barracks). While it has been in place on a trial basis for about a year, a memorandum of understanding made it official on Tuesday.

In an effort to combat the high rate of traffic fatalities and accidents in Harford County, local law enforcement formed the unofficial traffic task force in 2011 to target certain areas for enforcement and raise driver awareness.

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This past spring, said the county has the fourth highest number of fatalities in the state. Since then, have been added to the deadly 2012 list.

"As leader of the Harford County's primary law enforcement agency, I feel it is my responsibility to do everything possible to provide for the public's safety.  With that in mind, traffic - particularly in light of the high fatality rates, is one of our agency's key issues being addressed at this time," Bane said in a release.

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The task force has seen significant success, issuing more than 6,800 citations and making 65 through April 2012—more than double the number of citations issued by the same group between April and December 2011.

The task force focuses on areas of concern throughout the county, pooling resources to raise awareness and enforce traffic laws both large and small.

"The Harford County Traffic Task Force is an excellent way to partner with the other law enforcement agencies in our county and to show drivers that collectively we are all committed to safety on our roadways whether the enforcement action is speed management, safety belt or aggressive driving enforcement. Regardless of the type of enforcement effort or location our goal is to reduce crashes and fatalities throughout Harford County,"  Havre de Grace Police Chief Teresa Walter said in a release.

What Harford County roadways do you think are the most dangerous in Harford County? Leave a comment below.


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