The Field Operations Bureau continued the Community Policing program begun in 1994. The program is designed to address concerns of citizens by affording them a more visible form of police protection in the communities. Maryland State Police (MSP) troopers patrolled the communities and made personal contact with residents, business owners, school officials, and students. The presence of the troopers curtailed the frequency of motor vehicle violations and criminal activities. Highway fatalities in the State decreased by 10 percent, from 682 in 1995 to 614 in 1996. This decline can be attributed to strict speed limit enforcement; innovative special traffic enforcement initiatives that promoted the use of seat belts; and continued emphasis on removing aggressive, drunk, and drugged drivers from the roads. A priority of the MSP is to take guns out of the hands of criminals. Since October 1995, the Maryland Cease Fire Unit recovered nearly 1,000 illegal firearms. The Maryland Community Policing Academy continued to expand during 1996. This program provides comprehensive problem-oriented training for MSP and allied agency administrators and mid-managers of law enforcement and other government agencies. In 1996 the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services awarded $1.7 million in Federal funds to the MSP for a comprehensive computer automation project. State matching funds bring the total project to $2.3 million. The funds will be used for Automated Field Reporting, Computer Aided Dispatch, and Licensing Division Automation projects. Data are provided on expenditures for fiscal year 1996 and appropriations for fiscal year 1997. Personnel data cover uniformed and civilian employees for fiscal year 1996. Data on calls for service for 1995 and 1996 are provided as well, along with a traffic arrest summary for 1994, 1995, and 1996; traffic fatalities for each year for 1989-96; and number of arrests for driving while intoxicated by age for each year of the period 1992-1996.