61 - Traffic Safety - 2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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61 – Traffic Safety Policy & Procedure Page 9 of 19 iv. AUDIT SHEET: An audit sheet is prepared in the Traffic Office, which corresponds with each citation issued. It shall contain the citation number, date issued, defendant's name and address, the violation, and the officer's name. This audit sheet, when completed, is sent to the Registry of Motor Vehicles. v. LOST CITATIONS: Officers shall write a report concerning lost citations or when requesting a citation be voided. In the case of voiding citations, the violator should be given the corrected copy. The original citation shall be signed and turned in to the Traffic Office with the report for correct administrative disposal. vi. AMENDMENTS TO CITATIONS: Amendments to citations or dismissal of charges shall be processed by the Court Officer and/or through the District Attorney's office. b. Interfering with the Citation Process i. Members of the Department are prohibited from ticket fixing. The State Ethics Commission has ruled that requests by police officers for a consideration or a dismissal of traffic citations based on the violator's personal connection with a police officer violates the conflict of interest law. ii. The State Ethics Commission has ruled that ticket fixing is an unwarranted privilege that violates the Conflict of Interest Law.i It states that the ability of a police officer to seek special treatment for somebody because of that person’s relationship to a police officer is the kind of conduct that offends the public and violates public trust. iii. Section 23 of (MGL 268A) the Conflict of Interest Law, prohibits public employees from using their official position to secure substantial privileges for themselves or anyone else, and prohibits employees from acting in a manner that would cause an objective person to conclude biased behavior on the part of the Law Enforcement Officer. C. Violations 1. Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs [1.2.7] [61.1.5(a)] [61.1.10] [61.1.11] a. Many traffic collisions, particularly those involving a fatality or personal injury, are directly attributable to persons driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. In all contacts with violators, the officer should be aware of the possibility the driver may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. b. If the officer determines that the operator is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, appropriate enforcement action shall be taken. c. Appropriate enforcement action consists of immediate arrest or, if circumstances do not allow for an arrest, issuance of a citation (for example, if an operator is admitted to a hospital and the officer has no means to affect an arrest before the operator is removed from the officer’s