The work to make the roadways safer continues, and one Loveland Police Department officer has been recognized for her work once again.
For the second year in a row, Officer Jennifer Hines was named a winner of the Law Enforcement Champion Awards for Colorado. This award, presented by the Colorado Department of Transportation and Mothers Against Drunk Driving Colorado, is given out annually to officers and teams who “focus on efforts to reduce impaired driving, increase the use of seat belts and reduce speeding in the state,” according to a release from CDOT.
According to CDOT, someone who is considered a “law enforcement champion” is someone with “outstanding contributions in the prevention and enforcement of impaired driving, traffic safety, or occupant protection.”
Hines was awarded for Outstanding Individual Dedication to Occupant Protection, focusing primarily on work regarding seat belt laws.
According to her nomination, Officer Hines worked 13 days during the 2019 two-week May Mobilization period. During those 13 days, Officer Hines wrote 320 “restraint-related” violations, 59% of LPD’s 538 restraint violations and “more than the majority of other agency’s totals.”
“She is very committed and we are really grateful,” said Fran Lanzer, state executive director for MADD Colorado.
Hines said after serving as a crime scene technician in the past, she only needed to see one accident where a seat belt could have saved a life or stopped serious bodily injury to make enforcing and educating seat belt laws a focus of hers.
She said she would much rather be the officer to give someone information or even a citation through the Click It or Ticket campaign than have to respond to an incident where a seat belt could have saved a life.
“It is critically important for people to wear their seat belts and wear them properly,” Hines said.
