Over the last few months, I have asked the motoring public to join the Colorado State Patrol in driving down the number of fatalities on our state’s roadways. While I firmly believe this effort can only be realized through a majority of our drivers consciously participating through safe driving behavior, I also want to share how your Colorado State Patrol members are taking action.
Law enforcement agencies across the nation are experiencing the same strain on their workforce that most industries are facing, so the Patrol is working strategically to do more with less. We have leaned into what our agency’s crash investigation data is telling us, so we can focus our enforcement on the most predictable behaviors that cause serious crashes in Colorado.
In addition, we are advancing our use of data to pinpoint where and when crashes are most prevalent. In late 2021, the Colorado State Patrol initiated surge operations in predictable, high crash areas and these efforts yielded the best possible result – no fatalities in those areas.
Troopers continue to couple what we learn from our data with their knowledge of local traffic patterns and problem areas. This complete approach allows our members to build a more impactful enforcement plan and remain visible. Yet, we will always need your partnership.
As we continually improve what we can gain from our data, implement intermittent surge operations and steadily grow back our number of troopers, we also have to accept that the quality of our lives greatly depends on individuals.
Drivers collectively decide how safe or how dangerous our roadways will be each time the ignition turns over. Whether there are 100 Colorado State Troopers or 10,000, there will never be a law enforcement officer at every mile marker to catch every bad action.
Your Colorado State Patrol will commit to working smarter with every resource at our disposal. Now this is where you come in. Join us in making Colorado a safe place to drive again.
Col. Matthew C. Packard
Chief of the Colorado State Patrol