Drivers along the shoreline may have taken notice of a heavy police presence on area roadways recently. In many cases, the vehicles may have been from out-of-town police departments.

The reason?

Earlier this summer, several police departments along the shoreline banded together to undertake intensive traffic enforcement. The group, dubbed the South Central Regional Traffic Enforcement Unit came together not with the intent to fine motorists, but to educate them as well.

The program began in June and continues to run through the summer, as Madison, Branford, and Guilford have all conducted enforcement days. The departments involved are North Haven, East Haven, Branford, North Branford, Guilford, and Madison.

According to Madison Police Officer Captain Doug Harkins, the program has had a number of benefits for both police and drivers.

“All of the local departments are really in the same boat,” said Harkins. “So, the idea was proposed to combine our resources. We had a meeting and it turns out this was a great idea. Each department will send two officers to the various departments, and each department takes a turn and they are then able to address some of these hard to deal with traffic issues. It’s a force multiplier for us.”

Harkins said the unit is looking out for some of the basic traffic issues including speed and safety, but also device usage, seatbelt compliance, and proper vehicle documentation.

“We go to the areas that we receive the most complaints about and go to these areas during this initiative and address these issues. For instance, one of the areas that gets a lot of complaints is the Hammonasset connector. People fly down that connector at all sorts of speeds and, sure enough, we did stop a number of speeders.”

According to Harkins, the unit does issue tickets and has dealt with individuals with outstanding legal issues and warrants, but the unit issues far more warnings than fines in an effort to educate rather than just enforce.

“It definitely has had an impact and that with this unit we are addressing concerns, and as I said, making an impact,” Harkins said. “But the goal here is not necessarily to just come down on speeders. We issued far less than the number of tickets we legally could have, so that we could alert folks and educate drivers as to their responsibilities. We feel that was successful and is making a difference.”

According to data Harkins provided, when the traffic unit came to Madison on July 12, there were 102 motor vehicle Stops, 32 infractions, 2 misdemeanor summons, and 68 verbal or written warnings.

“The Madison Police Department is very fortunate to be a part of the South Central Regional Traffic Enforcement Initiative. As a department, we receive traffic complaints daily, but staffing issues and routine calls for service make it difficult to address some of these problems. With this new Regional Traffic Enforcement Initiative, our department, along with the other law enforcement agencies involved, will experience an increase in resources that will assist the common goal of enforcing and supporting safe driving,” Harkins said.