PHOTO: The City of Victoria Municipal Court accepted the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center’s Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Award during the Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Conference held April 2-4 in Waco. Shown at the award presentation, from left, are Court Operations Supervisor Maria Bell and Juvenile Case Coordinator Tara Tinney.
The City of Victoria Municipal Court has received the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center’s Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Award for the fifth year in a row for its work to promote safe driving through education and public outreach.
The court strives to educate residents about traffic safety—including car seat safety and the dangers of impaired driving—through participation in community events, mock trials in partnership with local schools, car seat inspections and other initiatives.
When presenting the award, TMCEC highlighted two innovative partnerships that the court has developed over the last few years:
- The juvenile case manager program in partnership with Mid-Coast Family Services, which provides educational programs and volunteer opportunities to young offenders
- The Court to Recovery program in partnership with Billy T. Cattan Recovery Outreach, which aims to address addiction and reduce repeat offenses among nonviolent drug and alcohol offenders
“This award recognizes our creative efforts to partner with local agencies to help local residents,” said Municipal Court Judge Vanessa Heinold. “We’ve been able to improve people’s lives by providing them with options and raising awareness of the resources that are available here in Victoria.”
Heinold noted that the Court to Recovery program, which lets defendants avoid a conviction by taking a four-hour course on drug education and related topics, has led to a noticeable decrease in repeat offenses since it was first implemented two years ago.
“When we go the extra mile to build partnership and offer resources, we can change our community for the better,” Heinold said.
Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Conference
Court Operations Supervisor Maria Bell and Juvenile Case Coordinator Tara Tinney accepted the award on behalf of the court during the Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Conference, which was held April 2-4 in Waco.
During the conference, Bell and Tinney learned about many different topics related to traffic safety, including self-driving cars, DWI prosecution and driving with a disability.
What’s next
The court has partnered with the Victoria Public Library and Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Rob Mallory for an informative presentation on the Texas Driving with Disability program 12-1 p.m. April 22 in the Victoria Public Library Bronte Room.
The Texas Driving with Disability program allows motorists to voluntarily note on their driver’s license whether they have a disability that could affect their ability to communicate with law enforcement.
The court will host its next car seat inspection event 1-4 p.m. April 25 at Target. Residents are encouraged to register in advance at www.victoriatx.gov/carseat.
To partner with the court for a traffic safety event, visit www.victoriatx.gov/courtoutreach.