GEORIGA H.E.A.T.

[4phun]

H. E. A. T.

New Traffic Unit To Combat Aggressive and Impaired Driving

The Governor's Office of Highway Safety has created the Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic (H.E.A.T.) to combat aggressive traffic and impaired driving. The program's goal is to decrease the number of auto crashes in metro Atlanta by 10 percent over the next two years.

The College Park and Atlanta police departments, along with officers from six metro counties, will form a multi-jurisdictional task force covering Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Henry counties. According to the office's website, these counties make up for 37 percent of the state's population, and 23 percent of the state's crash fatalities in 2000 occurred here.

Along with citations, each officer will be equipped with materials to educate citizens about the laws related to aggressive and impaired driving.

The program began in June but will not be fully operational until the end of August, said Ricky Rich, the statewide coordinator for the Traffic Enforcement Network.

The Governor's office website provides additional information about the penalties for each offense along with contact information. Visit www.gohs.state.ga.us.

Please list all frequencies and talkgroups related to this two year operation.

Here is a simple example.
155.91000 is used a lot when extra Georgia State Patrol units are brought to Atlanta to help. The reason is these mobile units lack the new trunking radios used in the metro area.

Also please suggest scanner strategies you have found useful in monitoring operation H.E.A.T.

 

[4phun]

The H. E. A. T. is on

H.E.A.T.: Speeders under the radar gun

By KAY S. PEDROTTI
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/26/04


Mother Nature won't be the only heat source in Atlanta this summer.

More than 500 police agencies united for "100 Days of Summer H.E.A.T." — Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic — will be out on Georgia roads, concentrating on stopping speeders. Officers also will ticket those not using seat belts, and send impaired drivers directly to jail, especially on interstates.

Capt. Tom Israel of the Clayton County Police Department's Traffic Division promises that "we will slow down the speeders, without a doubt." Israel coordinates the unit, comprising Clayton County Police, Cobb County Police, College Park and Atlanta Police, and county police officers from Fulton, Henry, DeKalb and Gwinnett.

The Governor's Office of Highway Safety plans a media blitz and public awareness campaign to supplement the actual effects of concentrated enforcement, Israel said.

The campaign starts Memorial Day weekend and goes through Labor Day weekend, with heavy activity on DUI stops during the Fourth of July holiday.

Figures from the highway safety office show that traffic fatalities in Georgia outnumber murders 3 to 1, accounting for some 500 deaths a year. The summer will "really get hot for all lawbreakers on Georgia highways," said Bob Dallas, the safety office director. The agency has identified "unsafe and illegal speed" as one of the top three causes of fatal traffic crashes in Georgia, he said.

"We'll create the concept that we're everywhere," Israel said. "With as many officers and units as we have participating, that's not really impossible. As local officers, we have long recognized that speed is out of control on the interstates."

The enforcement campaign will target anything that has wheels and is speeding, Dallas said.

Israel describes the purpose of concentrated enforcement as "behavior modification. . . . We want drivers to change the attitude that we won't stop them unless they are doing 80 or more." There will be very little tolerance for those driving over the posted speed limit, changing lanes recklessly, driving drunk or committing any other traffic offenses, he said.

Auto crashes, generally attributable to speeding or other aggressive driving habits, also account for more than half of all the traffic congestion delays endured by Georgia motorists every day, the highway safety office reports.

"The bottom line is that speed is killing people," Israel said. "We want everybody to adhere to the posted speed limits, and drive safely."

For more information on Summer H.E.A.T. and highway facts, visit www.georgia- highwaysafety.org.

Here in Cobb County I was listening to the HEAT on Memorial Day and I heard the following…

Cobb lazar unit on OPS

Eighteen wheeler 83 in the hammer lane.

Cobb motor unit on OPS

83 - I've got him.

PAUSE for about 15 seconds

CCPD on PRIVATE

83 - That is going to hurt

Another voice on CCPD PRIVATE after a pause

and in the LEFT LANE.

that is going to hurt a lot!

This is one reason I always take a vacation week during a holiday!

Vic

 

[fireman1910]

HEAT

The city of Albany, Ga. has a 1 HEAT car. My question is, why does the state have to put money into a special program. This is something that Police should already be doing. This money could have been used for something better.

 

[SCPD]

I agree. I often hear about how the state in such financial difficulties. A friend of mine is the 9-11 coordinator for our county. He was telling me that G.S.P. in our area has been told to remain stationary as often as possibble so they won't burn up alot of fuel. The D.N.R. is supposedly making cutbacks also, they're not replacing their officers when the senior folks retire. Things that make you go Hmmmm......

 

[kg4ojj]

City of Albany, GA

Has two HEAT cars, manned by #22x units
Very active during daytime on Albany PD Dispatch & NCIC
Combine with GSP, Albany PD Traffic units, etc. to enforce DUI/seatbelts.

HEAT units in the news (print and TV) this week.

Fair warning!
8)

 

[CORN]

We got a similar program up here in Nashville. As of right now they are just after the aggressive drivers. They are driving unmarked cars (wrappers) but with no markings or blemishes (spot lights, antenna farm, etc) They are looking for driving violations. Eventually they will be armed with radar. They have written so many tickets for just aggressive driving that a whole new court had to be set up aside from regular traffic court.