The Metropolitan Police Department continues to focus on traffic enforcement and education throughout the city. Operation Safeguard is a multi-agency monthly joint traffic operation along the Maryland border at Eastern and Michigan Avenues Northeast.
On Friday, March 22, 2024, MPD was joined by Maryland law enforcement partners from Prince George’s County and Mount Rainier for a traffic safety compliance enforcement initiative. This operation focused on traffic safety violations and driver education during the morning and evening rush hours.
Together, MPD, PGPD, and MRPD issued 290 Notices of Infractions (NOIs) and made two traffic-related arrests.
The high-visibility Traffic Safety Compliance Initiative focused on promoting safe driving, providing education, traffic violation enforcement, along with taking suspected impaired drivers and unsafe drivers off the road.
Operation Safeguard began in May 2021 in the Sixth District due to the high number of traffic safety concerns voiced by community members’ and elected officials in both the District and Prince George’s County. The initial pilot program was monthly and focused on the morning or evening rush-hour along the shared border of Eastern and Southern Avenues Southeast with MPD and PGPD. Due to its success and high public approval, it expanded to include more districts and Mount Ranier Police.
In 2023, MPD members issued more than 50,000 tickets for traffic violations.
The District of Columbia continues to work towards eliminating all fatal and serious injury crashes through the citywide Vision Zero initiative. MPD wants drivers to stay safe while on the roads and address drivers who put others at risk.