Traffic Unit
Traffic Safety and EnforcementThe Traffic Unit enforces speed, seatbelt and commercial vehicle laws, investigates crashes and works neighborhood traffic complaints.
About the Traffic Unit
The Traffic Unit provides for the safe and efficient movement of pedestrian and vehicle traffic within the township. Its semi-marked patrol cars are equipped with a laptop computer, front and rear-facing radar units and a handheld laser unit, which let officers enforce speed, seatbelt and commercial vehicle violations on every public road, including residential streets.
Traffic officers investigate crashes and assist the Fatal Accident Investigation Team when a serious injury or fatal crash needs to be reconstructed. In 2025 the department recorded 1,081 traffic crashes in the township, including 2 fatal crashes and 258 injury crashes, down from 1,155 total crashes and 7 fatal crashes in 2024.
The unit concentrates on drunk, distracted and drugged driving. Department-wide, officers processed 2,213 citations in 2025, including 287 misdemeanors and 1,612 civil infractions. During the year officers trained in commercial motor vehicle general enforcement and size and weight enforcement, at-scene traffic crash investigation, distracted driving crash investigation and the Intoxilyzer 9000 used in OWI arrests.
Traffic officers also resolve neighborhood traffic complaints, which sometimes means deploying the department's speed enforcement radar trailer, and they provide community education programs throughout the township. Residents with a speeding complaint on their street can ask for extra patrols, and those requests are worked into the unit's schedule alongside enforcement at the township's highest-crash intersections.
Responsibilities
- Enforce speed, seatbelt and commercial vehicle laws on all public roads
- Investigate traffic crashes and prepare crash reports
- Assist the Fatal Accident Investigation Team with reconstruction of serious and fatal crashes
- Target drunk, distracted and drugged driving
- Respond to neighborhood traffic complaints with directed patrols and the radar trailer
- Conduct commercial motor vehicle size, weight and general enforcement
- Provide traffic safety education programs in the community
- Compile crash statistics used to focus enforcement at high-crash locations
Request Extra Traffic Patrols
If you have a speeding or traffic complaint in your neighborhood, contact the department at (586) 949-2322. Be as detailed as possible and include the street or location, the day of the week and the time of day the problem happens. That detail lets the unit schedule directed patrols or the radar trailer when they will do the most good.
Where Crashes Happen
The top five crash locations accounted for 136 of the township's 1,081 crashes in 2025, or 12.5 percent. Every one of them is a freeway ramp or a major intersection on Gratiot Avenue or 23 Mile Road, and the leading cause at each was a driver unable to stop in time. Afternoon rush hour from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM was the busiest period, with 27 percent of crashes.
Traffic Unit Activity
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Total crashes | 1,155 | 1,081 |
| Fatal Crashes | 7 (1%) | 2 (0%) |
| Total fatalities | 7 | 2 |
| Injury Crashes | 262 (25%) | 258 (24%) |
| Total injuries | 370 | 260 |
| A injury crashes | 29 (2%) | 21 (2%) |
| B injury crashes | 87 (6%) | 46 (6%) |
| C injury crashes | 254 (17%) | 191 (18%) |
| Property damage crashes | 886 (61%) | 821 (76%) |
| Private property crash reports | 192 | 211 |
| Location | Crashes | Leading Cause | Second Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westbound I-94 at M-59 exit ramp | 36 | Unable to stop (25) | Fail to yield (3) |
| 23 Mile Road at Gratiot Avenue | 35 | Unable to stop (11) | Fail to yield (6) |
| 21 Mile Road at Gratiot Avenue | 28 | Unable to stop (6) | Fail to yield (5) |
| 23 Mile Road at eastbound I-94 exit ramp | 19 | Unable to stop (9) | Unknown (3) |
| 23 Mile Road at Donner Road | 18 | Unable to stop (11) | Fail to yield (2) |
| Day | Crashes | Fatal | Injury Crashes | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 100 | 1 | 32 | 44 | 67 |
| Monday | 180 | 0 | 31 | 37 | 149 |
| Tuesday | 170 | 0 | 36 | 55 | 134 |
| Wednesday | 184 | 0 | 49 | 69 | 135 |
| Thursday | 162 | 1 | 34 | 45 | 127 |
| Friday | 175 | 0 | 48 | 76 | 127 |
| Saturday | 110 | 0 | 28 | 46 | 82 |
| Total | 1,081 | 2 | 258 | 372 | 821 |
Watch
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I report speeding on my street?
Call (586) 949-2322 and give the street or location, the day of the week and the time of day the speeding happens. The Traffic Unit uses that information to schedule directed patrols or the radar trailer.
How do I get a copy of my crash report?
Crash reports are purchased online 24 hours a day through LexisNexis. If you don't have a computer, Records staff can help you at the lobby window during public hours. See the Purchase an Accident Report page.
How do I pay a traffic ticket?
Tickets issued in Chesterfield Township are paid through the 42-2 District Court, not the police department. Call the court at (586) 469-5150 or see the Pay a Ticket page.
Where do most crashes happen?
In 2025 the top five locations were the westbound I-94 ramp at M-59, 23 Mile Road at Gratiot Avenue, 21 Mile Road at Gratiot Avenue, 23 Mile Road at the eastbound I-94 ramp and 23 Mile Road at Donner Road.