TRAFFIC SAFETY Let's halt speeding problems, police say

Residents often complain about traffic enforcement on residential streets.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Police Chief Jeffrey Patterson plans to use about $10,000 in overtime to put the brakes on traffic offenders in township neighborhoods.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Patterson said the department frequently gets complaints about speeders along neighborhood streets. State grants designed to address traffic safety deal with main thoroughfares rather than the areas where residents complain of the problem.
And the requirements to receive those grants have been changed, making the township no longer eligible.
Most of the complaints occur between 2 and 10 p.m. when the department also receives the most calls for service. They don't have the staff to effectively monitor neighborhood traffic during those peak hours, the chief said.
Patterson said that he and Sgt. John Allsopp, the department's traffic officer, have designed a pilot program to address the problem.
Allsopp said that for 15 weeks, beginning next week, officers can focus exclusively on traffic enforcement in residential neighborhoods.
Details about the details
He estimated that the program could run for about $10,000 with four to five special traffic details per week. Each detail would last four hours. The officers, working on overtime pay, would be deployed in the areas where the most complaints are generated.
"It's an aggressive program and a proactive approach to improve a quality of life issue for our residents," Allsopp said.
Trustee Kathy Miller questioned why if traffic enforcement in the neighborhoods is a priority, it isn't addressed accordingly without having to use overtime.
Patterson said that he can't move officers from other shifts to the afternoon turn because of minimum staffing levels established in the police contract.
He said his overtime is down so far this year so there's enough of a cushion to conduct the program.
"We monitor the hours of overtime and if that ends up looking like an issue, we can bring it to a screeching halt at a moment's notice," Patterson said.
Besides tackling problems like speeding and enforcing compliance with seat-belt and child-seat laws, the program also will help deter crime, the chief said.
The officers will see who's in and out of neighborhoods as well as just being visible.
After the 15-week period, the program can be evaluated to determine its effectiveness, police said.