Police, Prosecutors, and Judges

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 320, Heft 1, S. 42-52

Abstract

The purpose of traffic law enforcement—as with law enforcement generally—is to offset selfish motivation and condition community habits through conditioning the habits of individuals. In order to meet the problems of traffic congestion and traffic accidents, effective enforcement is necessary. Es sential here is an adequately manned, well-trained, and properly administered police force. Some of the more fundamental problems of the police service involve organization, administra tion, training, and recruitment. Reforms here will provide the nation with a professional police service of the first order—a service which will take the problems of law enforcement, includ ing traffic law, in its stride. But since citations and arrests are unproductive unless followed by appropriate court action, well- trained judges and prosecutors in permanent traffic courts are also essential. Certain important changes are needed in laws, court organization, and procedure. And a co-ordinated effort by engineers, police, driver-licensing personnel, educators, and city planners is necessary, not only to have effective traffic law enforcement for reducing accidents, improving street efficiency, and contributing to the general social and economic welfare, but also to develop a system which will play a vital part in winning and maintaining the individual citizen's respect for the law.