Highway Patrol Unit
Welcome to Highway Patrol
The Highway Patrol Unit (HPU) is a specialized unit within the Patrol Division. The Highway Patrol Unit was expanded in 1999, as traffic in the Township became a challenge for the Police Department. The Highway Patrol Unit is an integral part of the traffic systems of the Township.
About Us
The Highway Patrol Unit is responsible for investigating serious and fatal motor vehicle crashes. Members of this unit receive extensive training in crash investigations, including pedestrian and motorcycle crashes.
The mission of the Highway Patrol Unit is to facilitate the safe and expeditious movement of traffic on the Township's roadway system and to reduce the number of crashes on our roadways. One of the ways that Plymouth Township Highway Patrol Unit achieves this is through enforcement of the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code as well as Township ordinances. With the largest turnpike interchange in the Township as well as major arterial highways cutting through the Township, tens of thousands of vehicles travel through Plymouth on a daily basis.
With that in mind, the Highway Patrol Unit utilizes various equipment to make our roadways safe. Traditional marked units are used as well as "slick top" vehicles and Harley Davidson motorcycles. All officers are trained to utilize Accutrak speed timing devices. Pennsylvania Municipal Police departments are not currently authorized to use LIDAR or Radar speed timing equipment.
Highway Patrol Officers receive specialized training in detecting counterfeit inspection/emission stickers as well as fraudulent licenses, registrations and insurance cards.
The members of the Highway Patrol Unit that operate the department's motorcycles or "wheels" receive specialized training including escorts. The specially trained officers have participated in escorts for dignitaries as well as funeral processions.
Plymouth Township Police participates in the statewide "Click it or Ticket" campaign for seatbelt usage and awareness as well as participating in the Valley Forge Area DUI Taskforce. Highway Patrol officers are trained in the use of standardized field sobriety testing and are all certified operators of the department's BAC Datamaster Breath Testing Instrument. Plymouth Township Police maintains a "zero tolerance" for drunk or impaired drivers.
The Highway Patrol officers are certified to weigh overweight vehicles by utilizing the department's six portable wheel scales.
The Highway Patrol Unit aggressively battles abandoned vehicles left on the roadways of the Township. These vehicles present not only safety issues but are an eyesore for the community.
Education of the public is an important component of the Highway Patrol Unit's Responsibilities. The Highway Patrol Unit maintains and deploys our Speed Awareness Trailer or Radar Trailer and our Variable Message Sign. These trailers have been effective when deployed in neighborhoods with speeding complaints or traffic congestion problems. The Highway Patrol Unit has also deployed the Variable Message sign to locations under construction or high congestion areas to inform the public to use alternate routes and advise of the duration of the project or problem.
The Highway Patrol Unit also maintains and provides traffic safety literature.
The Highway Patrol Unit is prepared to meet any challenge and it is reflected through our high level of commitment, training and fitness.
Engineering & Traffic Studies
Highway Patrol officers conducting Engineering and Traffic Studies in accordance with Title 67 further the mission of roadway safety.
Highway patrol officers receive specialized training in chapters 201, 203, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Traffic Calming, and sign and pavement markings to name a few.
These studies are conducted for the enactment of ordinances where appropriate and when requests are made for traffic restrictions, stop signs, or complaints about obstructions. Studies are also implemented when crash analysis indicates a potential problem.
