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StumbleMetro launches effort to get officers to wear seat belts
Campaign a response to three police fatality accidents
Sheriff Doug Gillespie speaks to the media about a new campaign to get officers to drive safely while Vanessa Maniago, left, vice president of strategic development for R & R Partners, which helped with the campaign, listens.
Friday, July 30, 2010 | 4:29 p.m.
Metro Seat Belt Safety
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Metro Police officers will be shown this video, which features officers who have been in crashes, as part of the department's safe driving and seat belt campaign.
Sun Archives
- Sheriff outlines changes to Metro driving policy (12-16-2009)
- Metro corrections officer remembered for his love of family (11-28-2009)
- Funeral services set for Metro corrections officer killed in crash (11-23-2009)
- Corrections officer with Metro killed in U.S. 95 crash (11-21-2009)
- Sheriff: Patrol car was going 71 mph, neither wore seatbelt (10-20-2009)
- Oversight of Metro Police called into question (10-16-2009)
- Metro, family mourn officer killed in crash (10-14-09)
- Injured officer identified, expected to recover from crash (10-9-09)
- Officers in fatal crash responding to non-emergency call (10-7-09)
- Police: Officer killed in crash drove 109 mph with no lights, sirens (5-20-2009)
- Community mourns police officer killed in crash (5-15-2009)
- Funeral services planned for officer killed in crash (5-11-2009)
- Driver in fatal crash with officer wasn’t drunk, to be released (5-8-09)
- Metro Police officer killed on duty in collision identified (5-7-2009)
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has kicked off a new campaign to get its officers to wear seat belts and drive more safely after three officers were killed in vehicle crashes last year.
Sherriff Doug Gillespie made the first presentation of the campaign to the officers at the Bolden Area Command Thursday night and held a Friday press conference to announce the effort.
All officers will be watching a video on the importance of wearing seat belts and driving safely, featuring Metro officers who have been in crashes.
Posters that feature officers and their families and reminders to buckle up will be put in all of the department’s briefing rooms, Gillespie said.
“Buckle-up” decals will be put on the outside of Metro cars above the door handles and stickers that say “Safe driving … it’s up to you,” will be installed on the dashboard of each car near the steering wheel.
“We know decals alone won’t change someone’s behavior, but it is a reminder and sometimes that’s all we need,” Gillespie said.
The campaign was developed by local advertising and public relations firm R and R Partners, which also did a survey of officers to find out why they don’t always wear seat belts. R and R is donating its efforts.
“After our three officer deaths, we realized we had to take an in-depth look at why officers were failing to comply with department policy and state law when it came to wearing seat belts,” Gillespie said.
The posters and videos focus on officers and their families, which are the No. 1 influences on officers, said Vanessa Maniago, vice president of strategic development for R and R.
“Research told us that the impact of leaving behind family was a powerful concept and one that would be very good to include in our campaign,” Maniago said. “We decided to flip this message on its head by highlighting all the meaningful occasions and moments that might be missed if an officer was not safe.”
Metro updated its driving policies in December after three officers were killed in accidents in six months.
The department began to discuss updating its driving policies after Officer James Manor died May 7, 2009, when his car hit a pickup truck on Flamingo Road after Manor was driving 109 mph without lights or sirens and wasn't wearing a seat belt.
Then, on Oct. 7, Officer Milburn “Millie” Beitel died and Officer David W. Nesheiwat was seriously injured when their police cruiser crashed while the officers were responding to a non-emergency call. Neither officer was wearing a seat belt and the vehicle was speeding at the time, police have said.
On Nov. 21, Metro Corrections Officer Daniel Leach died after the prisoner transport vehicle he was driving hit a semi-truck on U.S. 95 near Searchlight.
Gillespie then announced the new driving policies on Dec. 16, promising to change the driving culture of the department with an internal marketing campaign, which six months later has finally begun.
But just the internal discussions of driver safety and the change in policy has already had an impact, Gillespie said.
“Initially we heard a lot of reasons from safety to ‘I need to get our of my car’ to a variety of aspects. I don’t hear a lot of that anymore,” he said.
In the first six months of 2010, Metro vehicles drove 12.5 million miles, a 12 percent increase over the same period last year, the sheriff said.
Despite the increase in mileage, the department had 14 percent fewer accidents, Gillespie said, and speed-related accidents were down 68 percent.
“Our officers are driving more cautiously,” he said.
“I think the messaging we’ve been doing in the past year has sent a strong message and it’s resonating," he said. “This campaign here will just build upon that.”
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Band-aid on a gaping wound in relation to the problems with Metro. I guess it's a start...
Can you imagine what metro officer would say if they noticed fellow cop not wearing a vest or carrying a weapon with no magazine in it?
Why - with all of the talk of "officer safety" etc. is it so hard to get them to wear a seat belt? How many cops are killed in traffic accidents vs how many are shot every year?
Of course all of that ignores the obvious: That it is the law for the rest of us to wear safety belts so Metro should step up and follow the law.
If I get caught breaking the seatbelt law, I am punished with a fine. Metro officers get a buckle up campaign because apparently the law doesn't apply to them?
Wouldn't it be considered suicide if you were driving at well over 100MPH, not wearing a seat belt, and plowing into another vehicle?
Ok i get pulled over and given a ticket for not wearing a seat belt by Metro officers that do not wear seat belts? This is crazy world in Vegas.
Good grief! How about firing their butts if they aren't wearing their seatbelts? Problem solved.
The cops are too busy jumping in and out of their vehicles, giving speeding tickets to boost revenue, to buckle their seat belts.
Besides, there above the law. Maybe they should be ticketed for not wearing seat belts...yea, that'll happen.
Instead of a sticker on the door, how about a flashing light on the roof of their vehicle: "SEATBELT NOT BUCKLED"
This message bought to you by R&R, your tax dollars at work...opps, I mean SPENT!
There are so many things wrong with this picture that I am not even going to try to explain them, you would not even understand if I spelled it out!
R&R, WTF? Maybe the "Sheriff" should just be the top cop? The old tried and true; "do your job, right, or find another".
So . . . if R&R is donating its services, that means taxpayer dollars aren't paying; so does that mean the public never gets to see the results of their seat belt survey? Because that should be public information.
Hey Kyle, did you ask R&R for the results?
Look, I think it's great that Gillespie is going to train his officers to follow the law.
I'm assuming that R&R's "donated" efforts include the posters and decals, so there aren't any taxpayer dollars being spent (if there was a single cent of taxpayer money spent trying to encourage police officers to follow the law that they've sworn to uphold, it's a cent too much).
As the head of a law enforcement agency, Gillespie should be able to issue an order of "Wear your seatbelts" and officers should comply without having to execute a PR effort.
Sadly, I think the donated R&R PR efforts would have been better spent reminding officers about training tips on how to defuse real-world situations.
They break every other law so its no surprise they don't comply with the seatbelt law...
R&R has never do anything for nothing in return!
correction; do to "done".
nice photo op though, you can see the shine of all the toys in the shine on the floor...all four toys, including Barbie.
Really...I mean can't you just institute a rule like all other jobs to get your officers to do what you want? There protected by the law not to have to? Since when does Metro respect the law???
This should be a departmental rule like any other law enforcement agencies. The same for wearing their vests. That way if they choose not to comply they can be reprimanded . If nothing else their Workman's comp should be denied if they are injured and have not followed protocol. Every other major department has these rules in place.
This is just a suggestion perhaps the ranking officers Including the sheriff himself should conduct efficiency test. For rule compliance, For example the city has got a car pool I assume so the ranking officers could periodically check one out and ride around looking for there employee's and they could roll up to them and look inside the car just like they would with any other motorist and if they see a violation then they contact them via hand held radio and instruct them to a safe place to stop and at that point discus the infraction and make a note of the verbal warning and if they have several with in a set time lets say four with in a three month period then the officer could be held out of service as discipline for a time of three days without pay and if it continues to be a problem then it could lead to even stiffer penalties like citations and up to dismissal......
Just a suggestion doesn't have to be this but if I were an officer I think I could LIVE with that. Literally.
I find it quite ironic to see a bumper sticker that says "CLICK IT OR TICKET" on their car, but yet they don't abide by their own rules.. HUMMM..
Great, after that maybe they can learn not to beat their wives.
Well how about giving them a ticket?
Thanks Gillespie.
Your fired. Get out.
Here's one for R&R:
"What happens in metro, stays in metro".
Just curious; which R&R campaign strategist is handling D.A. Roger's "re election"?
What a joke Gillespie, free advertising campaign in your run for Sheriff.
Time for a new Sheriff, your still allow officers to drive around without their seatbelts on.
public relations distraction at it's best
How stupid, it has more to do than them wearing there seatbelts they need to learn how and when to speed make sure they turn on there sirens and lights. Not assault innocent people like the poor guy that got hit by the cop on flamingo and teneya he was trying to help the officer that was at fault when emergency personnel arrived and he was miss treated by police and arrested and treated like a criminal when the criminal was the officer and he got ripped off they should have gave him way more than the lousy 120 thousand that they gave him shame on them
About a month ago I send a letter into the Municipal Court, Clark County, demanding the $65 fine I paid for being cited for not wearing my seat belt be refunded, based on the demonstrated fact the metro officers are not required to wear their seat belt, and as a result they have caused human death.
There has been no reply.
Note, the metro officer who cited me could care less that I recently had chest surgery, even after showing him the fresh scar. But this isn't about some of the really stupid officers we have on OUR police force.
Isn't it just absurd to invest precious tax dollars into retaining a PR firm and posting decals; all in an attempt to get our "Law Enforcement Officers" to follow the law and the Direct Orders of their boss?
There are stories of civil rights lawsuits against Metro, reports of false information being submitted under oath to a court that led to the death of a civilian, two potentially unjustified killings and a mystery, supposedly unviewed videotape sitting in a different state that is the key to a major investigation. And Gillespie calls a press conference to talk about seat belt decals and posters!?!?!
Metro would be far better off if more time was spent on training and less time was spent on PR. Why would Gillespie bother to hold a press conference to let people know that he is implementing internal policies encouraging his people to follow the law? I thought his personnel took an oath to uphold the law. Is an oath not enough, do they need decals, too?
Las Vegas Metro is about the size of an Army brigade. And if a brigade commander had this much trouble leading his people, he would have been relieved of duty a long time ago.
Sounds like Doug is trying to find a way to not get re-elected.
The law breaking the law hmmm why need to spend money on a campaign ? if the poilce don't wear seat belts, I don't feel we should be fined. It's really quite embarrassing that this actually has to make the news
How about the Chief makes wearing a seat belt policy....case closed. Most state vehicle codes exempt LEO's from wearing seatbelts or talking on the cell phone while operating an emergency vehicle, but even the CHP policy requires officers to wear a seat belt.
http://www.ratemycop.com/
What kind of messed up place are we living in when the cops have to be told they have to obey the laws they enforce?
This is not to defend the actions why Metro patrol officers don't wear a seat belt, but next time when you see a uniformed officer, take a look what's wrapped around their waist with the equipment belt they have to wear.
Service pistol, ammo pouch, handcuff pouch, pepper spray, radio, TASER gun, flashlight, baton holder, and maybe some additional items, too.
Now, having all that equipment wrapped around the waistline of the officer, that makes it a carry load that's bulky and uncomfortable. Strapping on a seat belt adds to the discomfort.
I'm not concerned whether Metro officers wear a seat belt or not. But, I am concerned about Metro officers using sensibilities when it comes to driving . . . where their actions behind-the-wheel affects the safety of the public.
Metro, good to see you are cleaning up your act. Put your seat belts on now...
Just wear your seat belts. How hard can it be. Unreal.
Who cares? Let them run into stationary objects. Quit citing residents who also refuse to wear them. What ever happened to liberty?
I drive a Ford Escape, even this vehicle has a bell and light going when I don't put on my seatbelt.
Let me get this straight -- for the rest of us it's the law, for them it's an option??
"In a government of laws, existence of the government will be imperiled if it fails to observe the law scrupulously. Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy." -- Olmstead v. United States, 277 U.S. 438 (1928), Justice Brandeis dissenting
Buckling up - how about hanging up? Stop the constant cellphoning and maybe you'll have more officers paying attention. Or how about "how not to overreact and claim contempt of cop when shooting someone". OR how about vision checks for all officers so they can be sure to say what they saw happening in unison. What a cheap way for Gillespie to have the public look at him and say - wow, that guy cares. When in actuality, he barely goes through the motions on a day to day basis. Metro is the lamest PD I've ever seen in action and they never seem to be held accountable. Lucky for the public that Capt. Conlin and his crew of baby daddy boys have either left the dept., retired or gone to jail! LOL - couldn't happen to a bigger group of jerks!
How about making buckling up a regulation? Subject to a fine and probation.
To Sheriff Gillespie and R&R: Do you really think that officers not wearing their seat belts is the biggest issue you are facing right now?? How about tackling selective enforcement and officer-involved killings? Print decals which state-"Good People Live in Bad Neighborhoods" and "Help Them, Don't Hurt Them". Then, I would be impressed.
#1. Your are required by Nevada Law to wear your seatbelt.
#2. You are ordered by your Sheriff to wear your seatbelt.
#3. They save your life in an accident.
Questions?
To EH's response:
You are kidding us right? Even with all the gear that they have on .... you "honestly" worry about them being UNCOMFORTABLE!
And for this addition:But, I am concerned about Metro officers using some sensibilty when it comes to driving . . . where their actions behind-the-wheel affects the safety of the public
Well Sir/Mam, putting on and wearing that seat belt also has the possibility of affecting the lives of the public. And that goes with the job description of "Protect and Serve". And that should go both ways.
I am honestly wondering why an internal standard procedure warrants a press conference...the fact that the Sherrif made the decision to do so causes me concern...tells me a lot about our society when the police department is on the front page on a daily basis...
I got an idea lest spend a bunch of money and make sure Metro eats the right amount of fruits and vegetables everyday also. Maybe they can get someone to put up the cash for a news conference and some promotional materials to support it. Then after that they could do a hand washing one. Then one to make sure they are all sleeping eight hours a night.
How insulting can this sheriff possibly be? Does he not know that on Sept. 11, 2001, police officer in NYC (along with firefighters) committed great acts of heroism and since that day, by extension, any officer in any city throughout the U.S. is automatically heroic, too? You don't tell Superman he needs to keep it above 10,000 feet in residential areas and you don't tell Batman that a vehicle powered by a jet engine isn't street legal. Similarly, you don't ask police officers who routinely write citations for the secondary violation of not wearing a seat belt to wear a seat belt themselves. (They also know they'll never be cited for not doing so because, of course, when cops investigate other cops, the cops always win)
We need to support the next campaign to get metro "officers" to wear condoms.
ps...on the ranch it is all about breeding!
my vote is for
Instead of a sticker on the door, how about a flashing light on the roof of their vehicle: "SEATBELT NOT BUCKLED"
genius
borris from Pittman
I'm curious, wannabe1indc:
Where was it stated, or implied, with my original post that I expressed a "worry" about the uncomfortable factor of the equipment Metro officers wear? Nowhere is that found!
Myself having worn equipment belts over the years . . . well, I challenge anyone to strap on a waist belt with five-pounds of materials hanging from it. Wear it for eight hours, while standing, walking, and sitting. It has a cumulative effect of getting uncomfortable after a while.
@RustyShackleford
Citing imaginary people in an attempt to prove your point automatically invalidates your argument. You do realize that they're not real, right?
Years ago I made a right hand turn (at red light)just alittle off the road into the gravel and proceeded down the road...only to have the red lights glaring in my mirror as I saw a New York STATE TROOPER approach my car. Chin strap neatly under his chin.The creases in his dress shirt so sharp,you could cut your finger on them.I knew I was screwed.Asked me if I knew what I did,I said yes and wrote me my ticket. I argued look look as another cop car did EXACTLY when I was just ticketed for.I took him to court.I gave the judge a rather long list of state and local laws this officver broke in the "process" of making sure he gave me this ticket.The court says they can DO ANYTHING they want...his words,not mine.The judge also knew I was not going to let this matter go.No different no matter what state you live in...they're all the same.Do as I say...not as I do. Amazing.... I suppose the Las Vegas police don't wear seat belts because they may be required to make a QUICK EXIT from the car....oh and they will,right through the windshield when they hit someone head on. The sad part is they will die in a accident because of it...but will be described as dying in the line of duty. Really?
All I read is a bunch of whiner's laments over not being treated fairly or something. Go back and read what you all wrote. Metro is trying to correct the mistakes of the past because the PUBLIC DEMANDED IT. Metro responds affirmatively and you all still b*tch and moan. Unbelievable. You all need a self-help guru or group therapy to get over yourselves. Find your nearest neighborhood wife beater and ask for a nice hard slap in the face to break you outta this funk - geez people - SOMETHING! If life is so bad, go jump off a bridge or something. Boo Hoo.
ANY driver of any vehicle who doesn't wear his or her seat belt is an absolute fool.
esp. cops, since more police are killed in car wrecks than by gun-toting bandits.
Oh well, if you're not smart enough to protect your own safety, what good are you to anyone else?
I think we should teach them Not to Shoot First then ask questions first! Also when they get caught in a lie defending their bad behavior, teach them to tell the truth. Not cover up the facts, and blame the private citizen, they are here to protect.
Don't they see and arn't they trying to pass a law that we have to wear seat belts??? But they don't see it as a good idea for themselves... See this double standards is not good for your image.