The Portsmouth Police Department has assigned traffic officers that are responsible for all traffic safety inquiries. The traffic officers are responsible for implementing requested traffic enforcement throughout the Town of Portsmouth.

Traffic complaints, issues, and requests can be made to the traffic fficers. Requests include traffic enforcement in specific area of the Town of Portsmouth as well as the location of the traffic variable message boards.

Contact Information:

Please contact the front desk and request the traffic officer's direct extension at 401-683-0300 or by email at TrafficSafety@portsmouthri.gov

TRAFFIC SAFETY INITIATIVES

 What’s Your Speed? Campaign

Ask yourself, ask your friends, ask your family……. What’s Your Speed?

In 2022, the Portsmouth Police Department began the educational initiative of “What’s Your Speed?” Officers at the Portsmouth Police Department always remain dedicated to traffic safety and remain vigilant with enforcement on Portsmouth roadways throughout the year.   This initiative promotes the idea of motorists checking their speedometers during their travels and asking themselves, how fast am I going? Whether on our main roadways, through school zones, or in local neighborhoods, the department asked vehicle operators to be mindful of their speeds.      

Portsmouth Pedestrian Protection Initiative

The Portsmouth Police Department, with the help of the RI Department of Transportation and the Office on Highway Safety, raises awareness about pedestrian safety.  The department utilizes a three-pronged approach to enforce traffic laws and to educate motorists regarding pedestrian safety. The Portsmouth Police heightens the enforcement of the state's pedestrian safety laws through the addition of extra traffic patrol officers.  Throughout the school year, three different planned traffic safety programs are implemented to combat and prevent any issues regarding student safety.    

Crosswalk Compliance Program: Heavy enforcement of school area crosswalks utilizing undercover officers. 

Safe Transportation Of Portsmouth Students (STOPS) Program: Officers in low profile vehicles traveling the school bus routes to ensure vehicle traffic comes to a halt for pedestrian students exiting from busses. 

Protecting Student Drop-offs (PSD) Program: Police onsite at the schools educating and assisting pedestrians and motorists due to the increased traffic congestion in the school parking lots and surrounding roadways. 

2022 Operation Safe Summer

Every summer the Portsmouth Police Department commences an effort to combat speeding and reckless operation of motor vehicles on the roadways of Portsmouth.  The effort, Operation Safe Summer, is a highly visible and coordinated approach to traffic safety that runs from the 4^th of July to Labor Day.   

At different times and different locations, an increased presence of police activity is observable by motorists traveling on both East Main Road and West Main Road.  High visibility traffic enforcement is the goal of the operation which seeks to lower the rate of crashes and eliminate aggressive driving actions of motorists on the roadways.  These efforts seek to keep the roadways safe so that all can enjoy a safe summer.