Spring-Summer Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Program
A few years ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made a groundbreaking decision to prioritize prosecutors and their role intraffic safety enforcement. Since that time, many states have recognized the need for a specializedprosecutor who focuses on providing training andtechnical assistance for various issues including:impaired driving, vehicular homicide, occupant protection,community awareness and highway safety.
NHTSA, in cooperation with many of these states,have created and funded positions for statewideprosecution experts in the area of traffic safety.
Why the need for this prioritization? Traffic crashesof all kinds claim about 17,000 lives a year. In Illinoisin 2005, traffic crashes took the lives of 1,351 people,580 of which were alcohol related. This makes trafficsafety a significant priority in the State of Illinois.Additionally, traffic related prosecutions, particularlyDUIs and DUI-fatalities, are among the most complicatedcases to handle. Line prosecutors with substantialcase-loads need a specialized prosecutor theycan turn to for help; a person who focuses solely ontraffic safety related issues and prosecutions.
In order to effectively aid prosecutors, law enforcement,and other traffic safety partners, the IllinoisDepartment of Transportation/Division of TrafficSafety (IDOT/DTS) has joined with NHTSA in creatingthe Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor (TSRP)Program here in Illinois. What is a TSRP? A TSRPis a specialized attorney/prosecutor who provideseducation, training, and technical assistance toprosecutors and law enforcement and other traffic safety professionals, and serves as an “expert” inimpaired driving and traffic safety issues. Whetherthe topic is DUI, suspended or revoked drivers,aggressive drivers, traffic stops, or any other trafficsafety related subject, the TSRP’s responsibility is tosupport both prosecutors and law enforcement byproviding training, individual technical assistance,research, and representing their interests at statewidetraffic safety meetings.
The TSRP Program in Illinois is being created anddeveloped by me, Elizabeth Earleywine. I come tothis position after serving as senior attorney at theNational Traffic Law Center (NTLC) in Alexandria,Virginia. In that capacity, I was responsible for conductingand participating in training conferences andseminars around the country, providing technicalassistance to prosecutors and law enforcement, andrepresenting prosecutors at national and regionaltraffic safety meetings. I also learned the vitalimportance of communication between the lawenforcement and prosecution community. I hope tobring this national perspective to my work in Illinois.Prior to joining NTLC, I was an Assistant State’sAttorney in Winnebago County, Illinois (Rockford) forover eight years. I was assigned to the DUI courtroomafter being in the office only a few months. I becamethe resident expert in felony DUI and vehicularhomicide cases and handled them for my entiretenure in the State’s Attorney’s office. While assignedto the DUI courtroom, I developed and implementedthe idea for a felony DUI call and an early form ofDUI court. I have a great interest and passion forboth crash reconstruction and victim advocacy.
My mission in Illinois is to improve the quality ofjustice in traffic safety adjudications by increasingawareness of highway safety issues through thecompilation, creation and dissemination of legaland technical information and by providing trainingand reference services for the benefit of the State’sprosecutors and their traffic safety partners, particularlyfocusing on major traffic related offenses. Tothis end, I have a number of goals to accomplish.
First, the program will sponsor a number of one-daytraining sessions to be held throughout the stateseveral times a year. By bringing single day coursesclose to where you may be, more prosecutors, lawenforcement officers and others may be able to takeadvantage of these opportunities, where they couldnot before. These trainings are also meant to bemulti-disciplinary. Truly effective enforcement, whichincludes prosecution of offenders, can only occurwhen we understand each others duties and placesin the system. Communication also is a key componentof successful enforcement. To improve the communicationnetwork among all traffic safety professionals,you will soon see a quarterly e-newsletter, containinglegal updates, strategies, promising practices, andsuccess stories. A future goal is to develop an internetchat group or list serve dedicated to Illinois trafficsafety issues. As law enforcement and prosecutorsoften need accurate, up-to-date information at theirfingertips, I expect to publish a practice and proceduremanual for various traffic safety related topics as well. Whether we come from enforcement, emergencyresponse, engineering, education, victim advocacy,or some other area of traffic safety, we have a commongoal: to reduce the number of fatalities on Illinoisroads and make the state’s roadways a safe place forall. I am convinced that by working as a team, we canmake great strides toward achieving these aims.
If you are interested in receiving training announcements,updates, or forthcoming publications, pleasesend me your name, agency, position, and contact information to .
By Elizabeth Earleywine, Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor