Prior to the year 2000, NUCPS was known as the Traffic Institute, and NUCPS's roots are in traffic safety and its management. The City of Evanston and Northwestern University share a rich history of cooperation and collaboration and both were instrumental in the founding of the Traffic Institute.

In 1904, the City of Evanston, because of the number of automobiles already in operation in the community and in an effort to regulate the movement of the automobiles in the interest of public safety, established an eight mile per hour speed limit on city streets. In what was named a "speed trap" operation by one local writer, officers from the Evanston Police Department "hid" in the bushes and timed passing automobiles with stop watches as they drove between two tape markers placed on the pavement. In 1908, Evanston PD deployed its first motorcycle traffic unit. Despite these early efforts, traffic crashes had become a problem in Evanston as the City climbed to fifth in the nation in traffic crashes and fatalities by 1927, especially those involving pedestrians. In 1927, the Evanston Police Department lost its third officer killed in the line of duty when Officer Larkin, (on the job for eighteen months) while riding in a motorcycle side car, was struck by a retired police officer driving an automobile and was killed.

Recognizing the unprecedented need and the tragic impact upon families and communities caused by the property and life loss due to such high crash rates, Franklin M. Kreml, then a young officer of the Evanston Police Department and concurrently a full time undergraduate student at Northwestern, led the effort to address the issue. In 1929, the department established the Accident Prevention Bureau under the direction of the Sergeant Kreml. The Bureau developed a traffic safety model that brought together research, education, engineering and enforcement that resulted in Evanston being declared "Americas Safest City" by the National Safety Council. In 1936, Northwestern University established the Traffic Safety Institute, with Lieutenant Kreml as its founding director. The Institute also became and served concurrently as the operating arm of the first "Traffic Safety Committee" of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The Traffic Institute quickly became the world leader in traffic crash investigation and prevention as well as police management and has maintained that reputation ever since.

The world has changed significantly since our founding in 1936; however, the need for solid, cutting-edge education has not. NUCPS built on the Traffic Institute's tradition of excellence by expanding the scope of our programs to include a comprehensive offering of crash investigation, transportation engineering, police operations and police management. NUCPS is also home to the Traffic Safety School which offers driver safety courses to the general public and provides customized courses for business fleet operators. Law enforcement agencies, municipalities and private business enterprises have also come to depend on us for university-level research programs, technical assistance and conferences on issues such as impaired and distracted vehicle operation, crash reduction, independent traffic studies and analysis, assessment of staffing needs and law enforcement management studies. NUCPS conducts educational programs and research projects not only in North America but also in the Middle East, Far East, South America and Africa and continues to expand into other international markets.

To reflect this expanded mission, the Traffic Institute was renamed the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety in 2000. However, the motivation and purpose of our existence and our mission statement, although refined and revised, has not changed. We continue to pursue excellence in public safety research and education with the understanding that excellence comes from realizing our potential on a daily basis in a one hundred percent plus effort. Franklin Kreml was a trusted leader with high ethical and professional values who was dedicated to public service and exemplified this philosophy when NUCPS was founded seventy five years ago. NUCPS is proud to carry out his mission and continue that rich tradition and pursuit. It is why the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety continues to be the trusted resource for federal, state and local law enforcement and transportation agencies worldwide. I invite you to join us in this pursuit and in so doing equip yourself with the tools and knowledge to realize your full potential in the field of public safety.