2021 Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Awards - Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives - Texas ...

TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER
    Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives

             2021
Municipal Traffic
Safety Initiatives
         Awards

TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER
                   Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives

                    2021 Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Awards

       Purpose:
To recognize those who work in local municipalities and have made outstanding contributions to
increase traffic safety in their communities. This competition is a friendly way for municipalities to
increase their attention to quality of life through traffic safety activities. Best practices will be shared
across the state.

        Eligibility:
Any municipal court in the State of Texas. Entries may be submitted on behalf of the court by the
following: Judge, Court Clerk, Deputy Court Clerk, Court Manager, Court Administrator, Bailiff,
Marshal, Warrant Officer, City Manager, City Councilperson, Law Enforcement Representative, or a
Community Member.

       Awards:
Award recipients will be honored on March 30, 2021 at the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center
(TMCEC) Traffic Safety Conference in Denton at the Embassy Suites held March 29-31, 2021. If the
event is unable to be held in person, it will likely be reimagined as a virtual conference on the same
dates.

Eleven awards are anticipated:

     •   Two in the high-volume courts: serving a population of 150,000 or more
     •   Three in the medium-volume courts: serving populations between 30,001 and 149,999
     •   Four in the low-volume courts: serving a population of 30,000 or fewer
     •   Two in the “new applicant” courts: courts of all volumes that have never applied or whose most
         recent application was 2015 or earlier (contact TMCEC if you need to determine eligibility)

For two court representatives, winning courts receive: complimentary conference registration, travel to
and from the 2021 Traffic Safety Conference - including airfare and/or mileage within state guidelines,
two nights’ accommodations, and most meals and refreshments. Subject to state and federal rules.

       Honorable Mention:
Any application that is reviewed and deemed outstanding and innovative may receive honorable
mention at the discretion of TMCEC. Honorable mentions will be provided one complimentary
conference registration to attend the Traffic Safety Conference and will be recognized at the
conference.

How Entries are Judged:
A panel of judges and/or TMCEC staff will review each application and assign points based on the
materials submitted. After judging, the scores will be averaged and a final score assigned.

Applicants will be judged based on their court’s public outreach in their community to increase traffic
safety. This year, special attention will be paid to how courts adapted their outreach efforts in light of
the COVID-19 pandemic.

Section I: A maximum of 50 points may be awarded
         What are you currently doing or planning to do to address impaired driving and traffic safety?
Please provide a written report that is no longer than five pages in length. This may include details
regarding, but not limited to: monthly or regular articles in local publications, sponsorship of mock
trials, community outreach, social media, distribution of written materials and pamphlets, creative
sentencing, bilingual programs and initiatives on traffic safety, endorsements of national traffic safety
programs, web pages addressing traffic safety, presentations (in-person or virtual) to local civic
groups and organizations, interaction with youth, outreach with repeat offenders, and community
partnerships. Court programs may be represented in conjunction with city departments, local schools,
civic groups, and other community programs.

Section II: A maximum of 30 points may be awarded
         Attachments/Samples. Show us samples of your traffic safety materials. This may include, but
is not limited to: photos, news articles, press releases, materials you distribute, copies of your web-
pages, flyers, and letters of support. Note that these materials will not be returned to you. Please
print out hard copies of any attachments. TMCEC will not review any digital versions as part of
your application. Please include no more than 25 pages of attachments. Avoid loose attachments
– all should be printed on 8.5x11 paper.

Section III: A maximum of 15 points may be awarded
       Neatness, organization of materials, and following submission guidelines. This section is
important. Because many applicant courts conduct exemplary traffic safety outreach programs in their
communities, the neatness and organization of an application can be crucial to whether or not an
award is received. Focus on not having loose pages/materials, having a sturdy binding of all your
documents, and avoiding typos or general sloppiness.

       Entry Requirements – READ CAREFULLY!
   •   Three copies of the application packet must be submitted.
   •   You need only include the form signed by the judge once.
   •   Section I should be 1.5 or double spaced, printed single-sided in at least a font size of 12.
   •   Each application packet must not contain more than 31 total pages of documents: five
       pages for the Section I narrative, 25 pages of attachments, and one page for the
       application form.
   •   You MUST submit ONE flash drive of files to possibly be used in the awards video or other
       TMCEC publications. TMCEC will not consider the contents of the flash drive when evaluating
       your application. Please include at least one photo of the members of your court who
       participate in this project, e.g. the judge, the clerk, bailiff, etc. The rest of the photos should
       showcase your traffic safety activities. Please include JPG images only! Do not embed photos
       into Powerpoint, Publisher, etc.
   •   No part of your application packet will be returned to you.
   •   No late submissions will be considered.
   •   COVID-19 has not impacted award submission requirements in any way.

Deadline:
Entries must be postmarked no later than Thursday, December 31, 2020. Send applications to:

       TMCEC – Traffic Safety Awards
       Attn: Ned Minevitz
       2210 Hancock Drive
       Austin, TX 78756

         Notification:
Award recipients and Honorable Mention winners will be notified by February 19, 2021 and will be
honored during the Traffic Safety Conference in March. All applicants will receive an email with the
results.

      Questions?
Contact Ned Minevitz at ned@tmcec.com or (512) 320-8274.

                    Traffic safety benefits can go far beyond the traffic stop!
                                     What Can You Do?

              •   Get involved
              •   Speak to local civic groups on the importance of traffic safety
              •   Build community partnerships to prevent impaired driving
              •   Add traffic safety materials to your city and court websites
              •   Invite school groups to your court
              •   Host an exhibit of traffic safety materials at a community event
              •   Invite city council to your court
              •   Create meaningful sentencing alternatives for repeat offenders,
                  especially juveniles and minors, using deferred disposition
              •   At the close of a trial after sentencing, remind jurors and court
                  observers of the importance of compliance with traffic laws
              •   Participate in Municipal Court Week and National Night Out
              •   Frame and display a TxDOT traffic safety poster
              •   Form a local planning group in your community to identify traffic safety
                  issues
              •   Maintain a social media presence
              •   Craft innovate ways to promote safety during social distancing

TEXAS MUNICIPAL COURTS EDUCATION CENTER
                   Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives

                         TMCEC Traffic Safety Award Application Form
                          Deadline: December 31, 2020 (postmarked)
                         Please print all information as you would like it to appear on the award

                      Important application information will be emailed to the email address below.

Name & Position of Person Submitting: ____________________________________

Court Nominated: _____________________________________________________

Mailing Address: ______________________________________________________

City: ______________________________________ Zip Code: _________________

Telephone number: (____) ______-_______ Email address: ____________________

Category (please check only one):

                High-Volume Court: serving a population of 150,000 or more
                Medium-Volume Court: serving populations between 30,001 and 149,999
                Low-Volume Court: serving a population of 30,000 or fewer
                New Applicant Court*: courts of all volumes that have never applied or whose most
                recent application was 2015 or earlier (contact TMCEC if you need to determine
                eligibility

*If you qualify to be a New Applicant Court, you may decide whether you want to enter the New Applicant Court
category or the category that corresponds with your court’s volume.

Judge’s Signature: ____________________________________