The Annapolis Police department will host a Neighborhood Watch meeting tonight, Tuesday, April 8, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Annapolis Police Headquarters, 199 Taylor Avenue.
The meeting will include an overview of the Safe Streets program, and a discussion of heroin in Annapolis. Police will also discuss current crime trends. Food will be served, so an RSVP is requested to Sgt. Jessica Kirchner at 410-268-9000 ext. 7233, or jkirchner@annapolis.gov.
The Annapolis Police Traffic Unit is conducting special enforcement details throughout April looking for drivers violating the Maryland handheld device laws -- as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Police are reminding residents that when a vehicle is in motion the driver may not use their hands to use a handheld telephone, other than to initiate or terminate a wireless phone call or to turn the handset on or off. Using a hands-free device, while driving, is not a violation of the law, but both ears may not be covered by ear plugs, headset, or earphones.
Also, drivers under the age of 18 are not allowed to use handheld cell phones regardless of whether a hands-free device is used. Police said that the Maryland Highway Safety Office reports that for the five years ending in 2011 an average of 47 percent of traffic fatalities and 65 percent of traffic injuries in Maryland were from accidents caused by distracted driving.