 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.
Please select a topic from the list below or scroll down to read the entire
 section.
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. The marked units
contain VASCAR-Plus or Tracker speed timing devices.
All officers also 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 also 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 also certified to weigh
overweight vehicles by utilizing the department’s six portable wheel scales.
 The Highway Patrol Unit also 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.
In addition, Education of the public is also 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.
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.
| 
Plymouth
Township
![[Under Construction]](images/undercon.gif)
