Newport News Police Department - Operational Manual OPS-350 - TRAFFIC DIRECTION AND CONTROL Amends/Supersedes: OPS-350 (09/20/2007) Date of Issue: 02/01/2016 I. PROCEDURES NOTE: For purposes of this policy, in situations where a Police Aide or a Police Cadet is performing traffic-related duties as part of his job function, the term "Officer" shall also apply to them. A. Manual Direction 1. Officers shall manually direct traffic at points and events determined to require other than ordinary traffic control. Such points and events may include, but are not limited to: a. Accidents; [61.2.2(g); 61.3.2(a)] b. Parades; [46.2.7] c. Gas line/hazardous material leaks; d. Downed power lines; e. Fires; [61.3.2(c)] f. Sporting and other special events; [46.2.7] g. Emergency weather conditions [61.3.2(d)] 2. When manually directing traffic, officers shall: a. Wear a Department issued or authorized traffic vest; [61.3.2(g)] b. Position themselves as conspicuously as possible; c. Position their vehicles, with emergency lights activated, in a highly visible location; [41.2.1] d. Use clear, uniform, hand or flashlight signals, supplemented with whistle blasts when necessary; [61.3.2(b)] e. Use any traffic control device at their disposal (i.e., flares, cones) to minimize danger to themselves and to aid in the flow of traffic. Officers shall be responsible for removal of these control devices upon completion of the manual control. [61.3.2(f)] 3. When directing traffic at fire scenes, officers shall: [61.3.2(c)] a. Cooperate with fire officials in establishing and maintaining a perimeter around the fire; b. Direct the traffic flow so as to prevent vehicles from driving over fire hoses; c. Control parking and spectators to minimize their interference with the traffic flow and fire fighting units. OPS-350-1 of 5 02/01/2016
4. Upon encountering a malfunctioning traffic light, officers shall: a. Advise the Communications Division of the malfunction to be reported to the City s Traffic Engineering Department; b. Manually direct traffic until a representative from the City s Traffic Engineering Department arrives, if the malfunctioning light presents a traffic hazard and if the representative can respond in a reasonable amount of time; or, c. Use the traffic control box to change the malfunctioning light to flashing, whenever it is safe and appropriate to do so. [61.3.2(e)] B. Escorts [61.3.3(a)] 1. Funerals [41.1.3(a)] Assignment of motorcycles, Police Aide and Police Cadet vehicles, or regular patrol units shall be made when the funeral home involved advises the Communications Division or a Watch supervisor of the need for escort services. The Communications Division or the Watch supervisor shall assign the escort duty. a. Officers shall arrive at the point of origin no later than five minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. Officers shall determine by the size of the escort if additional units will be needed and, if so, they shall notify the Communications Division. The officers shall notify the funeral director of the chosen route and the speed at which the procession will travel (speeds should be kept between 20 and 30 mph depending on traffic and weather conditions). b. Emergency vehicles involved in the escort shall be required to use emergency lights and unit headlights. The siren shall be used only when clearing an intersection or if needed to clear traffic throughout the escort. [41.2.1] c. The lead unit shall leave a safe distance between itself and lead car in the procession. When approaching an intersection with traffic control the lead unit will move ahead into the intersection, stopping traffic in all directions. The unit will move ahead only when he is confident that traffic will remain stopped until the procession passes. Units shall continue this procedure until reaching their destination. d. The officers shall have the option of standing outside their vehicle with hand or hat over the badge as a courtesy to the deceased. After the procession has passed, the officers shall notify the Communications Division of its completion and resume normal assigned duties. 2. Oversized Load Escorts Whenever a vehicle which exceeds legal dimensions travels over Newport News City streets it is necessary for the organization owning that vehicle to obtain an oversize hauling permit from the City s Engineering Department. This applies even though they may have in their possession a permit issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia. This state permit is not valid within the corporate limits of the City of Newport News. However, the City will honor the state permit when the oversized haul is moving OPS-350-2 of 5 02/01/2016
through the City on a Primary Permit and this oversized haul does not deviate from its route on a primary state highway. a. Before undertaking an oversized load escort the officer shall determine that a City permit has been issued and shall review all information on this and/or any accompanying state permit. b. The escort shall proceed only by the route indicated on the moving permit. c. The escort shall proceed with a marked unit in the lead utilizing emergency lights and headlights and with a marked unit in the rear also utilizing emergency lights. [41.2.1] d. The escort shall move at a speed that the officers and the driver of the load determine to be safe taking into consideration the nature of the load, traffic and weather conditions. e. The escort shall obey all traffic signs and traffic control systems. f. Upon completion of the escort the officers shall notify the Communications Division and resume their normal assigned duties. 3. Parades [46.2.7] Units assisting with the movements of a parade involving either mobile units or marching units shall be required to: a. Utilize a marked police unit complete with emergency equipment to include emergency lights and siren. [41.2.1] b. Have a marked police unit as the lead vehicle in the parade to ensure the safety of both citizens along the parade route and the participating parade units. c. Utilize the police unit s emergency equipment when the officer feels it is necessary for safety reasons. [41.2.1] d. Maintain a slow steady pace, keeping the parade units moving. This pace shall be coordinated with parade sponsors or marshals prior to the start of the parade. e. Provide motorcycle units which will continuously move along the parade route to maintain a safety zone between parade units and the observers. [41.1.4(a)] f. Have a marked police unit, Police Aide or Police Cadet vehicle, serve as a followup vehicle behind the last parade unit. This police unit shall have the responsibility of keeping all other units informed as to the progress of the parade. g. Restore the normal flow of traffic upon completion of the parade. 4. Hazardous Materials Escorts The Police Department shall provide escorts for hazardous materials after being notified by the Fire Marshal s Office of the need for such an escort. Any organization contacting the Police Department for this type of escort shall be advised to first contact the City Fire Marshal. Upon request of the Fire Marshal, the Police Department shall follow the following procedures in a hazardous materials escort: a. The Watch supervisor notified shall assign officers to the escort duty and advise them of date, time, destination of the escort, and the nature of the materials being OPS-350-3 of 5 02/01/2016
carried along with any emergency information needed in the event of a possible accident. b. The Watch supervisor shall coordinate with the Fire Marshal the presence of the Fire Department s HAZMAT team during the escort. Escort officers shall ascertain the presence of the HAZMAT team before beginning the escort. c. One marked police unit equipped with emergency lights and siren shall serve as a lead unit and a second unit similarly equipped shall serve as a follow-up unit. The distance between the police units and the escorted material and the rate of travel shall be coordinated between the officers and the escort prior to departure.[41.2.1] d. In the event of an accident, the escort officers shall assist the HAZMAT team in the controlling of traffic and in evacuation procedures if they are deemed necessary by the HAZMAT team. e. Upon completion of the escort the officers shall notify the Communications Division and resume their normal assigned duties. 5. Political Dignitaries or Organization All political escort requests involving United States Government officials, foreign dignitaries, or elected state or city officials will be assigned to the respective Precinct Commander under the direction of the Patrol Bureau Commander. The Precinct Commander will determine if the escort requested is as a result of the dignitary s official duties as an elected official, or involves a political organization or a candidate running for office. It will be the responsibility of the Precinct Commander to coordinate the activities of the escort between the agencies involved. [46.2.6] a. Escorts (Dignitaries Performing Official Duties) 1) The Precinct Commander will determine traffic points to be covered and the number of personnel to be utilized. [46.2.6] 2) The route that will be chosen will be one that is designed to be the most expedient causing as little problem as possible to the normal flow of traffic. [46.2.6] 3) The motorcade will be led by no less than one marked police unit or no less than two motorcycles, along with a follow-up vehicle. [41.1.4(a)] 4) Depending on the nature of the escort, it will be up to the Precinct Commander and other agencies involved if emergency equipment is used. [41.2.1; 46.2.6] 5) At the conclusion of the escort, all assigned personnel will remain on assignment until relieved by the Precinct Commander or his designee. b. Escorts (Political Organizations or Candidates Running for Office) 1) It will be the responsibility of the Precinct Commander to review and coordinate with the City s Engineering Department all aspects of the escort or motorcade. [46.2.7] 2) A minimum of two marked police units will be used, one to lead and the other as a follow-up vehicle. [46.2.7] OPS-350-4 of 5 02/01/2016
3) The Precinct Commander will be responsible for acquiring on-duty officers for assignment and the assignment of vehicles. [46.2.7] 4) At the completion of the escort, assigned officers will return the units to the respective precinct. 6. Police units will not be used to provide escorts for civilian vehicles in a medical emergency. The officer will summons an ambulance to transport the person with the medical emergency. [61.3.3(b)] Richard W. Myers Chief of Police OPS-350-5 of 5 02/01/2016