§ 66-31. Duties of police department.

(a)

It shall be the duty of the chief of police, with such aid as may be rendered by other members of the police department and the parking program, to enforce the provisions of this chapter and the state vehicle laws applicable to traffic in the city, to make arrests for traffic violations, to assist in the prosecution of persons charged with such violations, to investigate accidents, to cooperate with the traffic engineer, and other officials of the city in the administration of parking program, traffic ordinances and in developing ways and means to improve traffic conditions, and to carry out those duties specifically imposed by this chapter and the traffic ordinances of the city.

(b)

The police department shall annually prepare a traffic report, which shall be filed with the mayor and city manager. Such report shall contain information on traffic in the city as follows:

(1)

The number of traffic accidents, the number of persons killed, the number of persons injured, and other pertinent traffic accident data.

(2)

The number of traffic accidents investigated and other pertinent data on the safety activities of the police.

(3)

Plans and recommendations for future traffic safety activities.

(c)

Whenever the accidents at any particular location become numerous, the police department shall cooperate with the traffic engineer in conducting studies of such accidents and determining remedial measures.

(d)

The police department shall maintain a suitable system of filing traffic accident reports. Accident reports, or cards referring to them, shall be filed by code number by location. Such reports shall be available for the use and information of the traffic engineer.

(e)

The police department shall receive and properly file all accident reports made to it under state law or under any ordinance, but all such accident reports made by drivers shall be solely for the confidential use of the police department, the traffic engineer, the state department of highway safety and motor vehicles, and the state department of transportation, and no such report shall be admissible in any civil or criminal proceedings other than upon request of the person making such report or upon request of the court having jurisdiction to prove compliance with the laws requiring the making of any such report.

(f)

The police department shall provide state required parking enforcement specialist training as required by F.S. § 316.340.

(Code 1961, § 20-22; Code 1985, § 23-21; Ord. No. 2012-15, § 2, 1-3-12; Ord. No. 2014-7, § 3, 12-17-13)

State law reference

Accidents and accident reports, F.S. §§ 316.027—316.071.