National LEL Program

Sheriff John Whetsel has been involved with law enforcement at all ranks including the chief of two departments and a six-time elected sheriff. He has a personal tie to the world of traffic safety having lost his wife and two-year old daughter which has made him a life long advocate for traffic safety. Sheriff Whetsel recently joined the NLELP for a webinar which is where this podcast comes from. https://www.nlelp.org/lel-february-webinar-developing-traffic-safety-champions/ Today, Sheriff Whetsel discusses the importance of developing the next generation of traffic safety champions for law enforcement.

Dr. Darrin Grondel is the Vice President of Traffic Safety and Government Relations for Responsibility.org. Darrin is the former director of the Washington State Traffic Safety Commissions, a retired Captain from the Washington State Highway Patrol served as both secretary and chair of the Governors Highway Safety Association. Darrin discusses his work with Responsibility.org, the challenges faced by traffic safety professionals, and more. During the recording, Darrin talked about many tools and resources that Responsibility.org has made available for law enforcement. You can visit their website to learn more and access those resources by following the link below. https://www.responsibility.org/end-drunk-driving/drunk-driving-resources/law-enforcement/

Pete Abrams and Monty Allsop are the Law Enforcement Liaisons with the Highway Safety Program of the Wyoming Department of Transportation. Wyoming is a geographically large but largely rural state, which poses a distinct set of challenges for LELs, particularly in encouraging participation in traffic enforcement campaigns and in maintaining relationships with far-flung law enforcement agencies. As Pete says, "the biggest thing is that personal contact – you’ve got to get out in the field, and you’ve got to get to know these people." Hear more in this podcast.

During the GHSA 2015 Annual Meeting, the National LEL Program sat down with Sheriff John Whetsel, Sheriff of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma and chair of the National Sheriffs Association Traffic Safety Committee, and Ed Hutchinson, Director of Traffic Safety for the National Sheriffs Association, to talk about ways to reduce injuries and fatalities for the law enforcement officers who are on the front lines of traffic safety.

Grundy County, Tennessee, Sheriff Clint Shrum has had a varied career that has run the gamut from police officer, to LEL with the Tennessee Governors Highway Safety Office, to his current role. Along the way, he has made traffic safety a priority. Sheriff Shrum sat down with us at the GHSA annual meeting to talk about how he changed the mindset of traffic safety in the sheriff’s office, how LELs can build relationships with law enforcement agencies and leaders, the contribution that Tennessee’s LELs have made to the state’s recent drop in traffic fatalities, and the importance of engaging rural agencies in traffic safety and enforcement efforts.

Today’s conversation is with Larry Coggins, who is the Southwest Florida Law Enforcement Liaison. A former public relations officer and state trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol, he has extensive knowledge of traffic law enforcement and law enforcement public relations. We sat down at the 2015 GHSA Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, to discuss the Florida LEL Program’s use of social media to connect with law enforcement agencies and officers in the field.

Officer Jermaine Galloway is an Alcohol Compliance Officer with the Boise (Idaho) Police Department and the creator of the Tall Cop Says Stop website and presentations. He took some time out of his busy schedule at this year’s Lifesavers Conference to sit down with us to discuss how he got started with alcohol and drug prevention education, changes in drug culture and how it has impacted what he’s teaching, a few things officers should look for when making a traffic stop, how LELs can bring themselves up to speed on what’s happening in the drug world, and why what law enforcement does in this area matters.

Last December, the National Park Service announced the formation of a law enforcement liaison program, as part of a joint initiative with NHTSA. John Hughes was named the first NPS LEL. A 29-year veteran of the NPS and Chief Ranger of Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, Hughes is building the program from the ground up. He and Dan Whitcomb, a U.S. Park Ranger with the Blue Ridge Parkway, sat down with us at this year’s Lifesavers Conference to discuss what led to the creation of a federal LEL position, the initial reception he has received from his peers in the LEL field, the challenges of building a LEL program among diverse entities and at a national scope, and how he’d like to see the program develop in the coming years.

Tim Roberts is a Florida Law Enforcement Liaison working in the state's Panhandle region. He sat down with us during a break at the recent Lifesavers Conference to discuss Florida's Challenge programs, how they work, which metrics they track to determine success and how other states can replicate this type of program.