New program urges police officers to wear seat belts

Accidents involving Las Vegas police were down 14 percent in the first half of this year over last year, while speed-related accidents were down 68 percent, Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie said Friday.

The sheriff, speaking at a news conference to announce a new campaign to persuade officers to wear their seat belts, said those statistics come despite a 12 percent increase in miles driven by his officers.

"Our officers are driving more cautiously," Gillespie said.

The impetus for that cautious driving was the deaths last year of three officers in crashes, two of them involving speeding and no seat belts.

Officer James Manor died in May 2009 when his police car crashed into a pickup truck that had turned into his path. Manor was driving 109 mph in a 45 mph zone on his way to a domestic violence call. He was not wearing a seat belt.

Officer Milburn "Millie" Beitel died in October when he lost control of his police car and crashed into a tree and a pole. He was driving 71 mph in a 45 mph zone and was not wearing a seat belt.

Corrections officer Daniel Leach died in November when he struck the trailer of a dump truck on U.S. Highway 95. Leach was wearing a seat belt and going between 67 and 73 mph in a 65-mph zone.

The sheriff announced policy changes in December that included mandatory seat belt use, rules forbidding officers to drive more than 20 mph over posted speed limits in most circumstances, and more training.

On Friday, he announced new stickers, posters and a training video that all officers will have to watch.

The stickers, which say "Belt Up. Safe driving ... it's up to you," have been pasted to all patrol cars above the outside door handles and on the dash boards. Posters bearing similar messages will be hung in the department's briefing rooms.

The video features officers who have been involved in on-duty crashes and who say seat belts saved their lives. It emphasizes family connections that officers would miss if they were to die in a crash.

The campaign was developed for free by R&R Partners, the local advertising agency. Agency representative Vanessa Maniago joined Gillespie at Friday's news conference.

She said a survey of officers revealed that family members were the strongest influence in their lives. Using that influence is what the campaign is designed to do.

Gillespie said the campaign is part of an overall strategy to change departmental culture. He noted that traffic crashes kill more officers every year nationally than gunshots do.

"The goal is to keep our men and women safe so they go home at the end of their shifts," he said.

Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.