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Vernon F. Betkey, Jr., GHSA Chairman Vernon
F. Betkey, Jr. Vernon Betkey serves as the Maryland Highway Safety Coordinator and as the Chief of the Maryland Highway Safety Office. He is responsible for the State's Highway Safety Program, the application and management of federal highway safety behavioral program funds, and he is the project manager for the Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Betkey served more than 25 years with the Maryland State Police, retiring on June 1, 1998. His MSP career included several command positions and more than seven years of direct interaction, planning, and implementation of many Maryland highway safety projects and programs. Upon retiring, he was appointed as the Chief of Staff for the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. He drafted the department's reorganization plan and started its first special traffic enforcement unit. He was recruited for and accepted the position of Law Enforcement Liaison for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Mid-Atlantic Region before accepting his current position as Chief of the Maryland Highway Safety Office. During his career, Betkey has participated in a wide variety of highway safety initiative, programs, and projects, and he has served on several state and national committees and task forces involved with issues such as highway safety legislation, occupant protection, child passenger safety, bicycle safety, impaired driving, and speed. Through his efforts, Maryland became the second state in the nation to introduce LASER speed enforcement into their highway safety program. He also spearheaded the initiative that brought the cellular telephone reporting program #77 to Maryland, making it one of the first in the nation to have cellular reporting. During Betkey's tenure with the Maryland Highway Safety Office, Maryland has succeeded in lowering the motor vehicle fatality numbers and rate, reduced the alcohol related fatalities by 18 percent, increased the seat belt use rate to 91.1%, and built a strong statewide highway safety network with both top down and bottom up support. He is a very passionate and committed highway safety advocate who believes that a goal of zero highway deaths is attainable. Betkey is active in several local and national highway safety organizations. He has served on the Executive Board of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) since September 2003 as a Regional Representative, Board Treasurer, Chairman of the Finance and Operations Committee, member of the Awards Committee, and Vice Chairman, and he currently serves as the organization's Chairman. Betkey has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland University College, and he is a graduate of the Northwestern University, Center for Public Safety, School of Police Staff and Command. Please contact Jonathan Adkins at 202-789-0942 or via email: jadkins@ghsa.org if you have any questions or would like more information. |
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