Chapter 10-80
TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION DUTIES OF POLICE DEPARTMENT
Sections:
10-80-010 Duty of traffic bureau.
10-80-020 Records of traffic violations.
10-80-030 Traffic violation forms and records.
10-80-040 Disposition and records of violations.
10-80-050 Accident investigation.
10-80-080 Traffic-safety report.
10-80-090 Authority of police and fire departments.
10-80-100 Authority of chief of police.
10-80-110 Specifications for traffic-control devices.
10-80-120 Stop signs when required.
10-80-140 Installation and supervision of parking meters.
10-80-150 Parking meter placement.
10-80-170 Play streets—Designation.
10-80-180 Supervision of play streets.
10-80-010 Duty of traffic bureau.
It shall be the duty of the police department to enforce the street traffic regulations of this city and all of the state vehicle laws applicable to street traffic in this city, to make arrests for traffic violations, to investigate accidents and to cooperate with the mayor and other officers of the city in the administration of the traffic laws and in developing ways and means to improve traffic conditions, and to carry out those duties specially imposed upon said bureau by this title or other ordinances of this city. (Ord. 1668 § 22.1, 1964)
10-80-020 Records of traffic violations.
A. The police department shall keep a record of all violations of the traffic ordinances of this city or of the state vehicle laws of which any person has been charged, together with a record of the final disposition of all such alleged offenses. Such record shall be so maintained as to show all types of violations and the total of each. Said report shall accumulate during a five-year period and from that time on the record shall be maintained completed for at least the most recent five-year period.
B. All forms of records of violations and notices of violations shall be serially numbered. For each month and year a written record shall be kept available to the public showing the disposal of all such forms.
C. All such records and reports shall be public records. (Ord. 1668 § 22.2, 1964)
10-80-030 Traffic violation forms and records.
A. Traffic violation notice forms for notifying violators to appear and answer to charges of violating traffic laws and ordinances in court and the corresponding complaint forms therefor, in serially numbered sets consisting of three copies of the notice and one copy of the corresponding complaint shall be provided in books by the chief of police.
B. The chief of police shall be responsible for the issuance of such books and shall maintain or cause to be maintained a record of every such book and each set of notices and complaint contained therein issued to the individual members of the police department and shall require and retain a receipt for every book so issued. (Ord. 1668 § 22.3, 1964)
10-80-040 Disposition and records of violations.
A. Every police officer upon issuing a traffic violation notice to an alleged violator of any provision of the motor vehicle laws of the state or of any traffic ordinance of this city shall deposit the corresponding traffic violation complaint of said notice with his immediate superior officer who shall cause the same to be filed in the court.
B. Upon the filing of such traffic violation complaint in the court as aforesaid, said complaint may be disposed of only by trial in said court or other official action by a judge of said court, including forfeiture of bail or by payment of a fine to the traffic violations bureau of said court.
C. The chief of police shall require the return to him of a copy of every traffic violation notice issued by a member of the police department of this city to an alleged violator of any traffic law or ordinance and of all copies of every traffic violation notice and the corresponding complaint which have been spoiled or upon which an entry has been made and not issued to an alleged violator.
D. The chief of police shall also maintain or cause to be maintained in connection with every traffic violation notice issued by a member of the police department of this city a record of the disposition of the charge in the court.
E. The chief of police shall also maintain or cause to be maintained a record of all warrants issued by the court on said charges to the police department for service and the disposition of all such warrants.
F. It is unlawful and official misconduct for any police officer or other officer or public employee to dispose of a traffic violation notice or copies thereof, a traffic violation complaint, or the record of the issuance of a traffic violation notice in a manner other than as required in this chapter. (Ord. 1668 § 22.4, 1964)
10-80-050 Accident investigation.
It shall be the duty of the traffic bureau, assisted by other police officers of the department, to investigate traffic accidents, to arrest and to assist in the prosecution of those persons charged with violations of law causing or contributing to each such accident. (Ord. 1668 § 22.5, 1964)
10-80-060 Accident reports.
A. The police department shall maintain a suitable system of filing traffic accident reports. Accident reports or cards referring to them shall be filed alphabetically by location. Such reports shall be available for the use and information of the mayor.
B. The police department shall receive and properly file all accident reports made to it under state law or under any ordinance of this city, but all such accident reports made by drivers shall be for the confidential use of the police department and other officers of the city for official use. (Ord. 1668 § 22.6, 1964)
10-80-070 Drivers’ files.
A. The police department shall maintain a suitable record of all traffic accidents, warnings, arrests, convictions, and complaints reported for each driver, which shall be filed alphabetically under the name of the driver concerned.
B. Said department shall study the cases of all the drivers charged with frequent or serious violations of the traffic laws or involved in frequent traffic accidents or any serious accident, and shall attempt to discover the reasons therefore, and shall take whatever steps are lawful and reasonable to prevent the same or to have the licenses of such persons suspended or revoked.
C. Such records shall accumulate during at least a five-year period and from that time on such records shall be maintained complete for at least the most recent five-year period. (Ord. 1668 § 22.7, 1964)
10-80-080 Traffic-safety report.
The chief of police shall annually prepare a traffic report which shall be filed with the mayor and the city council. Such report shall contain information on traffic matters in this city as follows:
A. The number of traffic accidents, the number of persons killed, the number of persons injured, and other pertinent traffic accident data;
B. The number of traffic accidents investigated and other pertinent data on the safety activities of the police;
C. The plans and recommendations of the chief of police for future traffic-safety activities. (Ord. 1668 § 22.8, 1964)
10-80-090 Authority of police and fire departments.
A. It shall be the duty of the officers of the police department or such other authorized officers as are assigned by the chief of police to enforce all street traffic ordinances of the city and all of the state vehicle laws applicable to street traffic in the city.
B. Officers of the police department or such other authorized officers or crossing guards as are assigned or authorized by the chief of police are authorized to direct all traffic by voice, hand or signal in conformance with traffic laws or ordinances; provided, that, in the event of a fire or other emergency or to expedite traffic or to safeguard pedestrians, officers of the police department may direct traffic as conditions may require notwithstanding the provisions of the traffic laws or ordinances.
C. Officers of the fire department, when at the scene of a fire, may direct or assist the police in directing traffic thereat or in the immediate vicinity. (Ord. 1668 § 22.9, 1964)
10-80-100 Authority of chief of police.
The chief of police is authorized to perform the following acts:
A. Conduct engineering analyses of traffic accidents and devise remedial measures;
B. Plan and direct the placing, installation, maintenance and operation of traffic signs, devices and pavement markings, safety zones and islands;
C. Devise and direct public educational programs and similar activities that will promote the efficient movement of traffic and the reduction of traffic accidents;
D. Perform such other duties and functions as may be required or authorized by any ordinance or as directed by the city council;
E. Place and maintain traffic-control signs, signals and devices when and as required under the traffic ordinances of this city to make effective the provisions of said ordinances, and may place and maintain such additional traffic-control devices as he may deem necessary and as may be authorized by the city council to regulate traffic under the traffic ordinances of this city or under state law, or to guide or warn traffic;
F. To designate and maintain by appropriate devices, marks, or lines upon the surface of the roadway, crosswalks at intersections where in his opinion there is particular danger to pedestrians crossing the roadway and at such other places as he may deem necessary;
G. To establish safety zones of such kind and character and at such places as he may deem necessary for the protection of pedestrians;
H. To mark traffic lanes upon the roadway where in his opinion a regular alignment of traffic is necessary. Where, in the opinion of the said chief of police, a separation of traffic is necessary to expedite the flow of traffic in a particular area, he may designate portions of the roadway as mass transportation lanes and shall so indicate by appropriate signs and markings;
I. To regulate the timing of traffic signals so as to permit the movement of traffic in an orderly and safe manner,
J. To place markers, buttons or signs within or adjacent to intersections indicating the course to be traveled by vehicles turning at such intersections, and such course to be traveled as so indicated may conform to or be other than as prescribed by law or ordinance;
K. To determine intersections, alleys and driveways at which drivers of vehicles shall not make a right or left turn and he shall erect appropriate signs at such intersections, alleys and driveways giving notice thereof;
L. To determine upon what streets or parts of streets drivers of vehicles shall not turn such vehicles so as to proceed in the opposite direction, except as otherwise provided for in this title and he shall erect appropriate signs upon such streets or parts of streets giving notice thereof,
M. The making of such right or left turn or turns in the opposite direction may be prohibited between certain hours of any day and permitted at other hours, in which event the same shall be plainly indicated on the signs or they may be removed or covered by the police chief when such turns are permitted. (Ord. 1668 § 22.10, 1964)
10-80-110 Specifications for traffic-control devices.
All traffic-control signs, signals and devices shall conform to the manual and specifications approved by the state department of public works and buildings. All sign and signals required hereunder for a particular purpose shall so far as practicable be uniform as to type and location throughout the city. All traffic-control devices so erected and not inconsistent with the provisions of state law or this title shall be official traffic-control devices. (Ord. 1668 § 22.11, 1964)
10-80-120 Stop signs when required.
Whenever any ordinance of this city designates and describes a through street, it shall be the duty of the chief of police to place and maintain a stop sign on each and every street intersecting such through street or intersecting that part thereof described and designated as such by any ordinance, unless traffic at any such intersection is controlled by traffic-control signals; provided, however, that at the intersection of a through street and a heavy traffic street not so designated, stop signs shall be erected at the approaches of either or both of said streets as may be determined by the police chief upon the basis of an engineering and traffic study. (Ord. 1668 § 22.12, 1964)
10-80-130 Stop sign—Legend.
Every stop sign erected pursuant to this title shall bear the word “Stop” in letters not less than eight inches in height and such sign shall at night time be rendered luminous by steady or flashing internal illumination, or by a fixed floodlight projected on the face of the sign, or by efficient reflecting elements on the face of the sign. Every stop sign shall be erected as near as practicable to the nearest line of the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if there is no crosswalk, then as close as practicable to the nearest line of the roadway. (Ord. 1668 § 22.13, 1964)
10-80-140 Installation and supervision of parking meters.
The chief of police shall cause parking meters to be installed in such numbers and at such places in parking-meter zones as established by the city council as may be necessary to the regulation, control and inspection of the parking of vehicles therein, and shall cause parking-meter spaces to be so designated as hereinafter provided. He shall have supervision of the installation, operation, maintenance, regulation and use of such meters, and the city treasurer shall have charge of the collection of coins deposited in said meters. (Ord. 1668 § 22.14, 1964)
10-80-150 Parking meter placement.
Parking meters shall be installed immediately adjacent to the individual parking places designated. Each parking meter shall be set in such manner as to display by a signal that the parking space adjacent to such meter is or is not legally in use. Each parking meter shall indicate the value of the coins to be deposited, the legal parking time established, and when operated shall indicate the duration of the period of legal parking, and on the expiration of such period, shall indicate illegal or overtime parking. (Ord. 1668 § 22.15, 1964)
10-80-160 Pavement markings.
The chief of police shall have markings painted or placed upon the pavement adjacent to each parking meter for the purpose of designating the parking space for which said meter is to be used, and each vehicle parking adjacent to any parking meter shall park within the lines or marking so established. It is unlawful to park any vehicle across any such line or marking or to park said vehicle in such position that the same shall not be entirely within the area so designated by such lines or markings. (Ord. 1668 § 22.16, 1964)
10-80-170 Play streets—Designation.
A. The mayor and the city council may, upon recommendation of the chief of police, designate certain streets or parts of streets, other than main thoroughfares, as play streets to be devoted to recreational purposes for children, under proper regulation and supervision.
B. Such designation shall be in writing and shall describe the street or part of the street to be used for such purpose, the hours of the day and the days of the week when it shall be roped off, and such other directions as the mayor may deem necessary for the protection of the children and of the public. The chief of police shall assign police officers to supervise such streets or parts of streets. (Ord. 1668 § 22.17, 1964)
10-80-180 Supervision of play streets.
It shall be the duty of the heads of the several departments of the city government and the employees of the city to render such assistance in the administration of the play street system as shall be necessary to insure safety to the children using same. No games of a dangerous character shall be permitted upon any such play street, and no child of unsuitable age, or child who is afflicted with any communicable disease, shall be permitted to join in such games except with the permission of the board of health. No hard ball shall be used on any play street, nor shall football, shinny or high or broad jumping be permitted thereon. Rope jumping, dancing, roller skating, indoor baseball, ring games and other games which do not render such play streets unsafe for small children may be permitted under proper supervision. (Ord. 1668 § 22.18, 1964)