Best Practice

BEST PRACTICE:

I1−2: Police Officer Training Program for Work Zone Duty

DESCRIPTION:

Transportation agencies may use police officers in a work zone to enhance motorist awareness through the visible presence of officers, manage speeds through active enforcement, and/or provide incident management services, when there are certain concerns present in that work zone. In some cases, DOTs have also used police officers to provide an extra layer of review of proper traffic control. To safely perform their duties in work zones, police officers need to be properly trained. Louisiana DOTD offers a work zone training program for law enforcement personnel that covers enforcement and incident management in work zones. This training program is 1.5 hours long and covers the following topics: why work zone training for law enforcement is important, the different parts of a work zone, the role that law enforcement plays in managing a work zone, video examples of law enforcement managing work zones, how to handle incidents in work zones, and proper stopping locations in work zones. This training is offered to State Police and local law enforcement agencies. Louisiana DOTD's work zone policy requires that police officers working on project sites be certified through this training program. Police officers must provide a course completion certificate to the hiring contractor.

Several other States, including Oregon, New Jersey, and Maryland, have also developed specific work zone law enforcement training programs. Oregon provides training to law enforcement personnel through a workshop, held annually at a law enforcement conference in the State. Oregon's training covers behavioral and traffic control engineering information related to law enforcement in work zones. Incident response is covered as part of the mandatory Oregon law enforcement curriculum. In New Jersey, training is provided to law enforcement personnel through both police−specific programs and general work zone training programs that may be attended by law enforcement. The New Jersey Police Work Zone Safety Program is specifically provided for law enforcement personnel and is given as a 4−day train−the−trainer program by the New Jersey local technical assistance program (LTAP). The NJLTAP also provides a 1−day program specifically for Police, accepted by the NJDOT, that provides training for locations that do not have an officer trained through the train−the−trainer program. This shorter course is intended to fill a need by enabling more law enforcement personnel to receive training for work zone duty.

REASON(S) FOR ADOPTING:

Requiring work zone training for law enforcement personnel ensures that personnel involved in work zone management, speed enforcement, and incident management are trained to follow the same protocol, decreasing the risk of an accident involving law enforcement personnel in work zones.

PRIMARY BENEFIT(S):

Law enforcement personnel will be better trained to safely handle the unique conditions and situations presented in a work zone.

MOST APPLICABLE LOCATION(S)/PROJECT(S):

All states where law enforcement personnel will be expected to provide enforcement and presence duty in work zones and assistance in managing incidents in work zones.

STATE(S) WHERE USED:

Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon

SOURCE/CONTACT(S):

Barry Lacy, P.E., Louisiana DOTD
Phone: (225) 379−1584
E−mail: Barry.Lacy@LA.GOV