The Mesquite Police Department’s Traffic Unit has many responsibilities. The primary function of the unit is Traffic Enforcement and Accident Investigation. The unit uses a variety of tools for Traffic Enforcement including car mounted and hand held Radars as well as Lasers for speed enforcement. Officers respond to specific traffic complainants generated by citizens as well as areas of concern due to high violations or high accident areas. Traffic Officers usually are a one-man unit but will work “Pack” enforcement in tandem with other traffic officers on high complaint areas. The Traffic Unit uses the Chevrolet Camaro for enforcement on Mesquite’s four major highways as well as secondary roads.

Accident Investigation: Traffic Officers routinely work minor crashes, however, the expertise of the unit is evident in crashes involving serious injury or death. Traffic Officers receive extensive training in Accident Investigation, Accident Reconstruction, Commercial Vehicle Investigation , Pedestrian and Bicycle Investigations and Bio-mechanics of Bodies in Motion. Traffic officer’s work together on critical injury and fatal accidents to determine the cause of the accidents and file criminal charges when appropriate. Traffic officers will measure and diagram an accident scene to scale using a Sokkia Total Station. The Total Station uses a transient to measure distances by shooting a beam of light at a prism to obtain a reading.

Radar and Laser Instruction: The Traffic Division is responsible for training officers in the use of Radar and Laser speed measuring devices. The Mesquite Police Department currently uses Kustom moving and handheld radars, Stalker moving radars and LTI lasers. The traffic division receives specialized training in radar and laser certification in order to teach and provide testimony in court.

Accident Instruction: the Traffic Division instructs accident investigation to all incoming officers and provides remedial training for veteran officers. The instruction covers the accident report, the accident supplement, the commercial vehicle report and the hit and run supplement. Instruction also encompasses formulas useful in determining speed measurements and identifying types of skids.

PEDI Training: The Traffic Division provides Police Emergency Driving Instruction to officers in the police department. The training includes classroom training and on-hands driving instruction. Officers are put in scenarios to mimic driving in high-stress situations and are put through driving courses to test driving ability.