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Kansas Highway Patrol details new enforcement units, pursuit technology and scale-house procedures
Summary
On Jan. 15 the Kansas Highway Patrol told the Senate Transportation Committee it has reorganized units to focus on passenger-vehicle safety, is testing pursuit-stopping 'grappler' technology, deployed body-worn cameras statewide, and is enforcing a new federal English proficiency rule at weigh stations.
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Highway Patrol outlined a series of operational changes and technology deployments Wednesday aimed at reducing crashes and improving response times on state highways.
Merle Bridal, chief of staff for the Kansas Highway Patrol, told the Senate Transportation Committee that KHP reconfigured Troop I to create a Passenger Vehicle Safety Unit that groups breath-alcohol/DUI enforcement, drug-recognition training and the ignition-interlock program with motor-assist teams that aid stranded motorists. "Troop I . . . was reconfigured to include KHP's passenger safety elements," Bridal said.
Bridal said KHP is also buying new motorcycle units to improve enforcement in congested metropolitan areas. The agency is expanding its air-support model to keep aircraft proactively airborne for quicker responses, and has started a Tactical Flight Officer program that pairs KHP pilots with trained local officers to…
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