One city councillor is asking for more details from the police department when it comes to traffic issues and violations in Revere.
Ward 1 Councillor Jim Mercurio introduced a motion at Monday night’s meeting asking that the police chief and commander of the department’s traffic division appear before the council meeting to provide an overview of the operations of the traffic division.
Mercurio said the goal of his motion is to assist the city council in better understanding enforcement efforts throughout the city.
“Traffic has become a major concern throughout Revere,” said Mercurio. “Residents, as we have seen tonight coming before this honorable council, are constantly talking about speeding, reckless driving, trucks using streets they shouldn’t, and dangerous intersections.”
During the public speaking portion of the council meeting earlier in the evening, several residents spoke about dangerous traffic issues and hot spots in Revere, especially in the area of Harris Street, where the MassDOT has enforced new traffic patterns that have been unpopular with many residents.
“We need to know what resources we have, how many officers are actually assigned to the traffic division, what other responsibilities, and how are those officers being deployed,” said Mercurio. “We should have a clear picture of the numbers, how many citations have been issued since Jan. 1, 2026, and what types of violations we are seeing most often. It should also be helpful to know where the problems are, what areas the police department is concentrating on.”
If certain areas or streets are generating a large number of violations, Mercurio said that information could be useful to help determine where additional enforcement may be needed.
“Commercial trucks are another concern in the city of Revere,” he said. “Revere has a lot of heavy truck traffic. I think the council should understand whether we have an officer with specialized knowledge or training in commercial motor vehicle enforcement.”
The Ward 1 Councillor said he also wants to understand the strategy behind traffic enforcement.
“Are officers responding to complaints, are they looking at accident data, speeding complaints, traffic volume?” Mercurio asked. “This isn’t about telling the police department how to do their job, it is about the council understanding what is currently being done and whether there are opportunities to improve it.”
Mercurio said there is also a financial component to stepping up traffic enforcement.
“Proper enforcement of traffic violations can generate additional revenue for the city through fines and citations,” Mercurio said. “I’m not suggesting we look at this as a way to simply write more tickets, but we can make our streets safer while bringing in legitimate revenue to the city.”
If a police officer writes six tickets per day five days per week for a year, Mercurio said it could generate up to $390,000 in fines if the average ticket was $250.
“This is about safety,” said Mercurio. “If better enforcement can slow people down, address dangerous driving, keep heavy trucks where they belong, and make our streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, then I believe it is worth taking a closer look at here.”