Community Spotlight: Bradenton PD

Left to right: Master Patrol Officer Christopher Hutchko, and Sergeant William Weldon

On June 27, 2014, the Bradenton Police Department’s Motor Unit was recognized as the Florida’s Top Motor Unit by the Florida Law Enforcement Liaison Program for their participation in the Florida Motor Unit Challenge. Sergeant William Weldon and Master Patrol Officer Christopher Hutchko accepted the award at the awards ceremony which 

was held in Orlando Florida.

The Florida Motor Unit Challenge rewards motor units that increase enforcement efforts to improve safety by reducing crashes and increasing seat belt usage rates on Florida’s roadways. The Challenge compares the change in statistics from the baseline data from one year to the Challenge data of the following year.

The Florida Law enforcement Liaison Program is a grant funded program sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). The goal of the program is to reduced traffic related fatalities and injuries by working with law enforcement agencies across the state to boost safety belt use, reduce drunk driving, and encourage traffic safety initiatives. The Law Enforcement Liaison Program has developed the Florida Law Enforcement Challenge, Florida Motor Challenge, Florida DUI Challenge, and the Florida Click-It-or Ticket Challenge in an effort to achieve this goal.