Traffic Safety Award Given To Cleveland Heights Police

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — For the third straight year, Cleveland Heights police have been awarded the AAA Platinum Award for Community Traffic Safety. The award recognizes communities for their efforts to improve local traffic safety.

"The Cleveland Heights police department is very honored to have been selected as a recipient of the Community Traffic Safety Platinum Award through AAA. As the chief of police, I am very proud of the men and women on our police department who work hard everyday to make Cleveland Heights’ streets safe," said Cleveland Heights Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg.

Cleveland Heights police engage in several programs to make drivers safer, including "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over," "Click It or Ticket," safety town and the OVI task force. Officers also attend bike rodeos where they educate kids about bicycle safety, meet with senior citizen groups to discuss best practices for driving and talk to families about safe routes to school.

"While we have 23 officers assigned to our Traffic Bureaus, it is more than just issuing traffic citations," Mecklenburg told Patch. "The officers of our department are out in the community educating the residents about traffic safety. The police department is also currently participating in traffic studies that look at the traffic issues and accidents in areas of the city and then educate residents on available traffic calming solutions to address the traffic problems."

The city also has a Green Streets Policy which promotes the safety of drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists while emphasizing the use of environmentally-friendly infrastructure.