REMEMBER: The legal level of intoxication in Louisiana was lowered to .08%, and in some instances drivers can be legally intoxicated and face arrest after only a couple of drinks.  Don't drink and drive!

Vince and Larry, the infamous Crash Test Dummies, are also popular, enthusiastic spokesmen for the values of P.O.S.S.E. and the Kenner Police Department.  The Kenner Police Department is the only agency is Louisiana to have its own Vince and Larry dummies, thanks to a state grant.  Vince and Larry frequently appear at various community events, such as the National Night Out Against Crime.

Seatbelt enforcement is also very aggressive, with a 74% usage rate in the New Orleans metropolitan area.  Vehicles are now manufactured with better safety features, but everyone in the vehicle must buckle up, and children must be properly restrained.  The department has dozens of traffic safety videos available for loan (for free), on topics including teenage driving, drunk driving and pedestrian safety.

P.O.S.S.E. funds allow the Kenner Police Department to purchase state-of-the-art equipment, such as radar guns, to detect and apprehend drivers who are speeding.  The department also has its own certified radar instructor, as police officers must receive specialized training in order to initiate traffic stops and issue tickets for speeding.  P.O.S.S.E. also produces crash and citation analyses to detect problem areas, in order to deploy officers there accordingly.  Kenner has a proactive red light program and was one of 32 cities in the United States, and the only city in Louisiana to be solicited by the federal government and awarded a grant to be used for the studying, education and enforcement of red light running.  The number of drivers running red lights has decreased dramatically, because people know that Kenner police officers will ticket them when they are caught.

Crime Prevention and Traffic Enforcement

Traffic enforcement plays a major role in crime prevention and should be an important part of any department's overall crime prevention program.  Criminals are mobile and often use their vehicles to commit crimes.  However, a police department that makes numerous traffic stops often helps take criminals off the streets.  Traffic enforcement is essential in detecting illegal activities and apprehending criminals.  Once word gets around that a specific jurisdiction will not tolerate even the pettiest of traffic offenses, criminals leave the area.  Just as arrests for curfew violations have reduced juvenile crime, traffic enforcement has a direct correlation to crime and public safety.

Call the Kenner Police Department at (504) 712-2200 to schedule an appointment, to have your child safety seat or booster seat installed in your vehicle or to learn about child safety seat check-up events.

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