Traffic Safety

The Department participates in the Rhode Island Department of Transportation/Office of Highway Safety "Operation Blue Riptide" program and uses two grant awards to conduct planned Impaired/Drunk Driving Enforcement and Speed Management activities. The additional dedicated patrols provided through these grants enable the South Kingstown Police to reinforce their assertive highway safety efforts.

Operation Safe Fall


Operation Safe Fall is a traffic safety program that combines the efforts and resources of Washington County Police Departments and the Rhode Island State Police. The program addresses highway safety issues in the communities most affected by the increase traffic volume caused by recent population growth and by the state university in Kingston. The program combines periodic waves of stepped-up enforcement of traffic laws with publicity highlighting the county's traffic safety efforts.
Patrol Vehicles Driving Down a Road
Recently a national survey of driver's attitudes towards the effectiveness of nine different countermeasures for reducing unsafe driving was conducted. The countermeasure that is viewed to be the most effective in reducing unsafe driving behaviors is to assign more police officers to traffic enforcement programs. Proactive traffic enforcement makes roadways safer, reduces crime and improves the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Operation Safe Fall has set a new standard for highway safety in Washington County and provides a foundation for local and regional traffic safety programs.

Child Safety Seat Clinics


The South Kingstown Police Department uses grant money from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation/Office of Highway Safety to conduct child safety seat clinics and checks. This grant allows the Department's certified Safety Seat Inspectors to hold advertised child safety seat inspections throughout the community. The Department's Safety Seat Inspectors conduct approximately 265 child safety seat checks per year.

Alcohol Enforcement & Education


The Department is proud of its proactive approach to alcohol enforcement and education initiatives to abate underage alcohol consumption. Utilizing grants from the Rhode Island Department of Health, Retardation and Hospitals (MHRH), Division of Substance Abuse, the Police Department conducts numerous "Cops in Shops" details where liquor store owners and bar license holders allowed undercover officers to view alcohol sales and check for fraudulent identification cards.
Vehicle Damaged in a Collision
Approximately 125 false identification cards/driver's licenses have been confiscated annually through the "Cops in Shops" program and the cooperative efforts of the local businesses. Approximately 830 false identification cards/driver's licenses have been confiscated during the past 6 years. In addition to the MHRH grant, the Police Department uses the State Incentive Grant (SIG) to conduct alcohol compliance checks at the businesses of liquor license holders in South Kingstown.