NB Police will target worst speeding areas

By Scott Sticker
Published November 20, 2008
The New Braunfels Police Department announced Wednesday that it plans to use a grant totaling almost $70,000 from the Texas Department of Transportation to target some of the worst areas in the city for speeders.

The $69,034.47 grant will be put toward the Police Department’s strategic traffic enforcement program, or STEP. Officers will use the money to monitor 27 predetermined spots in the city for speeding and seat-belt safety, traffic Sgt. Heath Purvis said.

He said the 27 sites were surveyed by speed monitors, which found that an average of about 40 percent of motorists were driving the speed limit.

The Police Department also has used some of the grant money for two new departments, a traffic unit and a community response unit.

Purvis said the traffic unit would be made of three officers and a sergeant and that it will handle traffic issues and violations.

The Community Response Unit will be in charge of helping with specific needs of residents, Sgt. Chris Snyder said.

“The grant and these new departments will help us to educate the community and track and reduce accidents,” Purvis said. “We’ll work with the community and with the city to reduce the accidents and keep the public safe and educated.”