Last of four parts

Grants drove traffic citations last year in Salisbury Township.

Traffic citations in- creased by 133 percent, from 872 in 2012 to 2,038 in 2013.

Traffic and safety enforcement grants increased by more than than 100 percent, from $21,875.28 in 2012 to $54,128.59 last year, according to the 2013 Salisbury Township Police Department.

Officers assigned to zone patrol issued an additional 1,542 traffic citations, an increase of 178 percent over the 553 citations issued in 2012.

Grant-funded traffic enforcement resulted in an increase of 55 percent, from 319 in 2012 to 496 in 2013.

Last year, traffic en-forcement grants of $16,543.01 resulted in 587 vehicle stops with 496 traffic citations.

Township police officers, under the direction of Senior Patrol Officer Bryan Losagio, traffic safety coordinator, conducted several traffic enforcement projects funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

An aggressive Driving Enforcement PennDOT grant of $7,836.24 resulted in 343 vehicle stops and 317 traffic citations.

A Buckle-Up Pa. PennDOT grant of $1,249.10 resulted in 101 vehicle stops with 49 traffic citations.

A DUI enforcement PennDOT grant of $1,224.60 resulted in 11 DUI arrests, seven traffic citations and one non-traffic arrest.

Also, a Lehigh County Casino grant of $6,233.07 resulted in 143 vehicle stops with 123 traffic citations and one non-traffic arrest.

The casino grant, administered through a Lehigh and Northampton counties agreement to share funding garnered from the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, funded purchase of a 2013 Force Interceptor sedan, outfitting it at a cost of $31,513.58, and a Speed-Alert message board system for radar traffic study at a cost of $6,070.

Losagio conducted 23 vehicle speed surveys in township neighborhoods.

According to the report, traffic enforcement grant funds pay overtime for off-duty township patrol officers who conduct traffic enforcement in certain township areas. This allows the police department to maintain an adequate patrol staff while conducting traffic enforcement.

The township police department has received $785,401 in grants since 1995.

Last year, township police officers attended numerous seminars, completed training and participated in several activities.

The Lehigh County "Disaster Simulation" last May was said to be the largest mass casualty drill in the Lehigh Valley. The drill included many local law enforcement agencies, Hazmat, EMS units, the Lehigh County Municipal Emergency Response Team, the Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Counter Terrorism Task Force and the Department of Homeland Security.

Last November, the township department conducted an "Active Shooter" drill at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest. In addition to the township police department, participating were Lehigh Valley Health Network Security and Emergency Management, Lehigh County MERT, Lehigh County Emergency Management, Lehigh County Emergency Dispatch Center, Pennsylvania State Police, Western Salisbury Fire Company, five EMS units and South Whitehall, Upper Macungie, Emmaus and Macungie police.

The township police department became a member of Lehigh County MERT, the Lehigh County Regional Intelligence and Investigation Center and the "Communities That Care" program.

The grants, traffic enforcement and and department activities information is contained in the 2013 annual report released by Salisbury Township Chief of Police Allen W. Stiles to the township board of commissioners and the media at the Jan. 27 township meeting.