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E.P.P. 021 LONGWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT ENFORCEMENT POLICY & PROCEDURE NUMBER: EPP – 21 SUBJECT: TRAFFIC DIRECTION EFFECTIVE: DECEMBER 11, 2000 REVISED: APRIL 1, 2022 ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TRAFFIC DIRECTION EPP – 21 Page 1 of 9 I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this directive is to provide enforcement personnel with guidelines regarding the safe movement and control of vehicles and pedestrians. II. TRAFFIC DIRECTION: A. Traffic direction may be performed by sworn officers. Traffic direction may be necessary at scenes of traffic crashes, parades or special events, crime scenes, disabled vehicles, or any other situations where the safety of property and/or persons are jeopardized. B. In certain contained or confined situations (such as parking lots during school fairs, bicycle rodeos, art festivals, etc.) and where no emergency or heavy traffic conditions are present, a Longwood Police Youth Explorer may be allowed to direct parking activities at special events but only under the direction of Youth Explorer Advisors. C. All personnel directing traffic will do so only when in uniform and while wearing a reflective safety vest. Exceptions to the uniform requirement may be made when on-scene personnel are employees assigned to plain-clothes duty. However, all personnel shall wear the vest while engaging in traffic control or direction duties. D. Enforcement personnel are prohibited from authorizing or empowering a private citizen to engage in traffic direction. III. GENERAL TECHNIQUES: A. Upon arrival at a traffic problem, personnel shall assess the situation to determine the severity of the situation. A supervisor will be notified if the traffic ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TRAFFIC DIRECTION EPP – 21 Page 2 of 9 situation is one of an unusual nature (e.g. a major intersection requiring re- routing, or other lengthy problem requiring additional manpower and resources). B. The primary goals of enforcement personnel upon completing an initial assessment of the situation are to: 1. Provide for safety of drivers and pedestrians 2. Remove the obstruction from the roadway (if possible); 3. Ensure the orderly movement of traffic; and 4. Prevent unnecessary traffic delays. C. Before beginning any traffic direction, personnel should devise a plan to ensure for the safe routing of motorists and pedestrians and that appropriate manpower and equipment is on the scene or is requested. D. Personnel should use a stance that offers clear visibility to drivers and pedestrians. E. Once properly positioned, personnel should execute distinct and complete hand and/or whistle signals. Prior to instructing a driver or pedestrian to move, personnel will evaluate the traffic flow in order to ensure a safe response to the directions given without confusion or danger. F. When directing traffic that has more than one lane of moving traffic, the traffic flow should be stopped and/or started one lane at a time. G. While conducting traffic control duties, personnel will be courteous and present themselves in a professional manner. H. Personnel may often be asked questions by motorists. Personnel will be helpful and assist a motorist whenever possible, providing it does not cause a lengthy delay. IV. MANUAL OPERATION OF TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNALS: A. Supervisors are issued keys to traffic light control boxes by the traffic supervisor. Circumstances and locations warranting manual operation of traffic control signals or manual direction of traffic include: 1. Malfunctioning of the traffic signal; ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TRAFFIC DIRECTION EPP – 21 Page 3 of 9 2. Facilitating movement at traffic accidents, fires or other emergencies; 3. Providing a thoroughfare for motorcades and parades; and 4. Reducing congestion resulting from the use of automatic controls. B. If there is a need to access a control box to perform traffic direction, personnel should only utilize the manual control plunger contained in the box. Personnel shall: 1. Request an access key from a supervisor and make a supervisor aware of the anticipated course of action; 2. Unlock the control box and place the three-way switch into the “MANUAL” position; 3. Use the plunger in the box to control the traffic light as desired; 4. If the light is malfunctioning in the automatic mode, notify the on-call (twenty-four hour) Seminole County Department of Traffic Engineering duty person to respond to the scene. NOTE: Enforcement personnel will not place three-way switch into the “FLASH” position unless no other avenue of traffic control is available. If placed into this position, the Seminole County Department of Traffic Engineering must be immediately notified as the internal electronics will need to be reset. 5. Once the need for manual control is over, personnel will place the Three- way switch back into the “AUTOMATIC” position and re-lock the control box. 6. Enforcement personnel shall ensure that the automated signal is cycling properly before leaving the scene. 7. Personnel will not remove the manual operation plunger from any control box for any reason. V. MANUAL CONTROL OF TRAFFIC: A. Evaluate the Situation: Before implementing manual control of traffic, enforcement personnel shall first: ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TRAFFIC DIRECTION EPP – 21 Page 4 of 9 1. Determine if intervention is necessary; 2. Take into account safety considerations of personnel and the public; 3. Have a plan in mind on how to improve the traffic situation before beginning traffic direction; 4. Decide where to stand so as to be visible to all on-coming traffic; 5. Determine if an assist unit(s) will be necessary; and 6. Understand that once a plan of control is in operation it is difficult to alter. B. Safety Precautions: Personnel will: 1. Wear their traffic safety vests at all times while directing traffic; 2. Remain alert and be ready to move out of the path of a vehicle; 3. Never step backwards without looking first to see that it is safe to do so; 4. Never turn his/her back to moving traffic; and 5. Never permit vehicles or pedestrians to start from a stopped position until it is safe for them to do so. C. Positioning: Enforcement personnel should identify the correct place to stand while directing traffic, to include: 1. When both streets are two-way traffic, personnel should stand in the center of the intersection; 2. When one street is two-way and the other is one-way, personnel should stand in the center of the two-way street. D. General: Basic considerations for directing traffic include: ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TRAFFIC DIRECTION EPP – 21 Page 5 of 9 1. Stand erect with feet slightly apart; 2. Do not smoke; 3. Keep hands out of pockets; 4. Do not twirl chains, whistles or other objects. E. Emergency Vehicles: When an emergency vehicle operating in an emergency mode approaches a location where traffic is being manually directed, personnel will: 1. Stop traffic in all directions except the one in which the emergency vehicle is approaching; 2. Wave or direct the emergency vehicle through the intersection. F. Voice Commands: 1. Voice commands should not be used unless necessary as they may be misinterpreted by motorists or pedestrians. 2. If voice commands are used: a. Move close enough to the motorist or pedestrian so that the verbal instructions are clearly understood; b. Be polite and brief; c. Address persons as “Ma’am” or “Sir”; d. Do not lose temper; e. Take extra precautions with elderly persons and children. G. Whistle Signals: 1. One short blast for a vehicle to stop; 2. Two short blasts for a vehicle to go; 3. Several short blasts to get the attention of a driver or pedestrian who does not respond to a hand signal; ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TRAFFIC DIRECTION EPP – 21 Page 6 of 9 4. Whistle signals should be punctuated with hand signals. H. Hand and Arm Signals: 1. Stop: The arm is extended at shoulder level with the palm and fingers pointing upward; 2. Go: A waiving motion across the chest indicating the direction of travel a vehicle is to take; 3. Turn: The hand and arm is pointed at the line of traffic to be turned, and then a pointing motion in the direction the traffic is to turn. NOTE: It is highly recommended that personnel utilize hi-visibility colored traffic gloves while using hand signals to direct traffic. VI. TRAFFIC CRASHES: A. Upon arrival at the scene of a traffic crash that has hindered traffic flow, enforcement personnel will attempt to restore a safe flow of traffic. B. Assist units will be requested if necessary. C. Marked enforcement vehicle with emergency lighting systems operating will be positioned so as to provide maximum visibility to on-coming traffic. D. If there is no danger of fire because of leaking fuel, hazardous materials, etc., flares should be deployed away from the involved vehicles, especially if the crash has occurred in darkness or poor lighting conditions. E. Burning flares will not be left at the scene after an investigation has been completed by an officer. Officers will extinguish all burning flares prior to leaving the scene. F. Injured persons remaining in their vehicles should not be moved and should be afforded as much protection as possible from on-coming traffic or other hazardous situations. G. If necessary, traffic safety cones should be utilized and obtained from other available resources. H. Officers will protect the scene as much as possible. Involved vehicles, debris, or persons should not be moved from their positions unless they present a hazard, create obstruction to fire/rescue personnel, or require movement for first-aid treatment. ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TRAFFIC DIRECTION EPP – 21 Page 7 of 9 I. If a crash does not involve injury and if the involved vehicles are moveable, they should be moved from the roadway in order to restore the normal traffic flow. J. If a crash involves injury and where for the safety of the injured they must be left in their vehicles, the vehicles will not be moved until fire/rescue personnel arrive and have extricated the victims. Upon removal of the victims, if the vehicles are moveable they should be moved from the roadway to restore normal traffic flow. K. If the vehicles cannot be moved and if traffic flow needs to be re-established, a safe, single-lane of traffic should be created to either side of the vehicle wreckage if no dangerous conditions are present. L. All traffic should be stopped at the nearest available intersection to the crash (by creating a roadblock) and be re-routed should there be any dangerous conditions present at the actual crash scene. VII. FIRE SCENES: A. Enforcement personnel may be requested by fire/rescue personnel to respond to the scene of a fire to control a traffic situation. B. At the direction of the ranking fire/rescue officer at the scene, a traffic control perimeter should be established in order to control access to the scene. The perimeter should be established at a sufficient distance from the scene to prevent injury to persons or damage to property, and yet allow emergency vehicles free and unhindered access. C. Extreme caution will be taken to ensure that vehicular traffic does not cross fire hoses without the permission of the ranking fire/rescue officer at the scene. D. An unobstructed traffic way must be maintained for use by emergency vehicles. E. The vehicles of any reserve or off-duty fire/rescue personnel should be directed to an area so as not to obstruct the flow of emergency traffic or normal traffic. F. A location should be established for pedestrian (spectators, media) and for media vehicles reporting the incident. G. Should a fire be discovered by enforcement personnel: 1. The Telecommunications Section will be immediately notified and fire/rescue personnel requested to respond to the scene; 2. Enforcement personnel will render assistance if possible; ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TRAFFIC DIRECTION EPP – 21 Page 8 of 9 3. A traffic perimeter will be established to control access to the scene pending the arrival of fire/rescue personnel. VIII. ADVERSE ROAD AND WEATHER CONDITIONS: A. When the normal flow of traffic is impaired during adverse road or weather conditions (e.g. sink holes, fog, rain, downed power lines, smoke, etc.) the safety of personnel and members of the community is paramount to all other considerations. B. Additional personnel and equipment may be required to adequately perform traffic control in a safe and efficient manner. C. Personnel shall be stationed at both ends of the hazard in order to safely direct traffic around or away from the existing hazard. D. Heavy fog or smoke conditions may warrant the need to temporarily close a roadway for the safety of motorists and public safety personnel. A supervisor must approve said action and will respond to the scene of the incident to ensure that adequate personnel are present and positioned to direct traffic along alternate roadways. E. If necessary, barricades, cones and/or signs may be requested from the Longwood Department of Public Works or the Seminole County Department of Traffic Engineering to re-route traffic away from the existing hazard. F. Personnel shall ensure that the situation has been adequately resolved before securing from their assigned post. IX. TEMPORARY TRAFFIC CONTROL “DEVICES”: A. Temporary traffic control “devices” are defined as both equipment and personnel that are readily available to assist in handling or facilitating a traffic situation. B. Temporary traffic “devices” may be employed for a variety of traffic conditions including emergency situations such as crashes, fires, temporary road obstructions, natural disasters, etc. C. The basic types of traffic control “devices” include but are not limited to: 1. Enforcement Personnel: Assisting personnel may be utilized to divert or control traffic in lieu of other regulatory devices; ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE TRAFFIC DIRECTION EPP – 21 Page 9 of 9 2. Marked Enforcement Vehicle: Utilized to block a particular area or roadway, or to provide visible warning; 3. Traffic Cones, Barricades, Temporary Signage, Message Boards, or Flares: Utilized to block or gradually channel traffic from one location to another.