There’s a New Chief in Town… Literally. And He’s Using Data to Drive Safer Streets

When a new police chief steps into the role, there’s a certain expectation: make a strong first impression.

For Brooklyn Heights, Ohio, Chief Leahy did just that by starting with something that might not seem glamorous but impacts every resident: speeding.

The village already had one speed sign installed on Schaaf Road, quietly flashing warnings and logging traffic data in the background. But the Chief wanted more than just flashing numbers, he wanted answers.

He added a second sign on Lancaster Road, hoping to get a better read on traffic behavior in key areas. But as many departments quickly learn, collecting the data is the easy part. Making sense of it? That’s where things get tricky.

The “Data Trap” Most Cities Fall Into

Speed signs come with software, but that software often dumps everything into raw CSV files that are hard to read and even harder to act on. That was exactly the case in Brooklyn Heights.

They had data. Lots of it. But trying to answer even basic questions like “How many speeders did we have this week?” or “Which roads are trending worse?” was time-consuming, frustrating, and often inconclusive.

That’s when Croydin Solutions stepped in.

From CSV Chaos to Clickable Clarity At Croydin, we specialize in turning messy data into meaningful dashboards. For Brooklyn Heights PD, we built a Power BI dashboard that pulled in the raw files from each radar sign, cleaned them up, and turned them into something the department could actually use.

With just a few clicks, the Chief and his team could now:

• Track average and top speeds by street and time period

• Compare violation rates between locations

• Spot trends by time of day (like commuter spikes)

• Justify officer patrols using real data (not hunches)

• Report back to council and residents with clean visuals
  

In short, the department finally had insight, not just information.

What the Data Is Telling Us: A Closer Look at Lancaster Road

After the first full month of reporting (October 2025), the dashboard delivered its first full-speed report for Lancaster Road, and it revealed more than expected.

Here’s a snapshot:

• 42,328 vehicles were tracked in just one month

• The average speed was 26.0 MPH — slightly above the 25 MPH limit

• 2.0% of drivers were violators (defined as going over 35 MPH)

• 72 vehicles exceeded 40 MPH

That’s nearly three high-speed drivers per day on a village road where families walk, kids ride bikes, and residents cross to get their mail.

The takeaway? Most drivers are doing the right thing, but even a small number of violators can pose serious risks, and now the department knows exactly where and when to focus their efforts.

Transparency, Not Fear

When the chief first saw a car clocked at 65 MPH on a residential street, it was a wake-up call, but it wasn’t about panic. It was about prioritization.

Instead of cherry-picking shocking stats, the department used the dashboard to focus on patterns and trends. They started sharing early visuals on social media to let residents know: we’re watching, we care, and we’re doing something about it.

Council members were impressed. Residents felt heard. And officers could now act with precision.

Big Picture: This Isn’t Just About Speeding

This project is about more than radar signs. It’s about how data can help any department lead smarter.

Whether you’re managing traffic, finances, or internal operations, chances are you already have the data. What you need is a way to actually use it : to spot what’s working, flag what’s not, and communicate clearly with those who count on you.

At Croydin Solutions, that’s what we do. We take what’s raw and make it readable. We turn the noise into a narrative. And we help leaders like the Chief of Brooklyn Heights make decisions they can stand behind.