Council approves pilot contract to use private traffic-response units for minor accidents

The Montgomery City Council approved a pilot contract to hire a private contractor, described at the meeting as TrafficServe and led by a retired police chief, to respond to minor traffic accidents, road hazards and motorist-assistance calls.

Chief Craig Boyse described the contract to the council as a way to add three non-enforcement units during peak times to address minor crashes and roadway hazards, free up police officers for criminal and higher-priority responses, and improve citizen response times. The contractor will provide its own vehicles, requires roughly six months to ramp up operations, and plans to operate five days a week in peak eight-hour shifts.

Councilors asked operational questions about hours, number of units, vehicles, enforcement limits and budget impact. Chief Boyse said the contractor would not perform enforcement or criminal investigations: "They'll do any enforcement. They're not here to do criminal cases," he said, clarifying the private units would not undertake law-enforcement activities.

Councilor Dan Wright moved to approve the contract; the council recorded the vote as unanimous.

City staff said the program is a pilot; the city will not begin payment until the company is operational and meeting performance expectations. Budget staff indicated funding would come from the police department’s budget, and councilors noted the arrangement is intended to improve response times in high-accident corridors while preserving sworn officers for more serious calls.

The council did not adopt a long-term contract term in the public discussion; members and the chief emphasized performance monitoring and the pilot nature of the program.