The Visalia Police Department has been named the winner of the California Law Enforcement Challenge Award, which is sponsored by the California Highway Patrol in partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety and the California Office of Alcohol Beverage Control.
The California Law Enforcement Challenge is a competition between similar sized and types of law enforcement agencies. This award recognizes and rewards the best overall traffic safety programs in California. The areas of concentration include efforts to train officers, enforce laws and educate the public about occupant protection, impaired driving and speeding. Agencies submit an application that documents their efforts and effectiveness in these areas. The winning safety programs are those that combine officer training, public information and enforcement to reduce crashes and injuries within its jurisdiction.
A panel of traffic safety experts reviews each application and assigns points based on the criteria. After the judging, the scores are averaged and a final score is assigned. After all of the applications are scored, the agencies are ranked in their categories. All judges are independent members of the law enforcement community, public safety and corporate partners who have demonstrated advanced knowledge of highway safety initiatives.
The California Law Enforcement Challenge program allows law enforcement agencies to set comprehensive goals, to strive to reach new heights in traffic safety, to share their experiences with others, and to be recognized for their traffic safety accomplishments.