Traffic Enforcement Key to Keeping Temple Terrace Safe, Police Officer Says

The Temple Terrace Police Department has reason to celebrate.

The Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Challenge (LEL) honored the department last week in Orlando with two awards, according to a City of Temple Terrace press release.

• First place for the Florida Law Enforcement Challenge
  This rewards the best overall traffic safety programs in Florida, with a focus on enforcing and educating the public about occupant protection, impaired driving, speeding and other traffic-safety issues, the release states.

• Third place for the Florida DUI Challenge
  This rewards agencies that dedicate a significant level of resources to impaired driving, the release states. The goal is to reduce the number of alcohol-related crashes, fatalities and injuries in Florida by conducting high-visibility DUI enforcement and increasing public awareness of the state’s DUI problem.

“We are very proud of these accomplishments,” said Temple Terrace Police Capt. Michael Pridemore, head of the department’s Patrol Division, in the release. “Traffic safety and enforcement are key elements to providing our citizens with a safe place to work and live.”

The Florida LEL program is a grant-funded initiative sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the release. It sponsors the annual awards to boost police participation in reducing traffic-related injuries and fatalities by increasing the use of safety belts, reducing drunken driving and encouraging other traffic-safety initiatives.