Tue Feb 09 2010
By JARED ORZOLEK
Motorists thinking about driving excessive speeds or rolling through stop signs should note the safety history of area roadways -- a primary factor in how law enforcement officers determine where to initiate traffic patrols.
At the Defiance Police Department, officers focus on areas of the city where traffic accidents are more likely to occur. Officers also target school zones and high-traffic areas like Clinton Street and Jefferson Avenue.
"Most of our traffic enforcement is about safety. We have to patrol where we have accidents," said Police Lt. Todd Shafer. "By enforcing speed limits and other traffic laws, the number of accidents has dropped dramatically."
Police often focus patrols on East Second Street -- an area officers said is prone to crashes involving vehicles traveling too fast that strike the rear of stopped vehicles.
Speed limits on East Second Street range from 25 miles per hour near the Auglaize River bridge to 40 miles per hour closer to the east end of the city limits.
"The greater the speed, the greater the stopping distance you need," said Police Sgt. Scott Campbell.
Campbell said the type of violations officers look for varies based on the time of day and the section of town police are patrolling.
"Downtown we are not watching the speed as much as for people running red lights and failing to yield the right of way," Campbell said.
At the Defiance post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, Lt. Bill Stidham, post commander, said troopers focus on Ohio 15, U.S. 24, Ohio 66 and other highways in Defiance County and Ohio 15, U.S. 127, U.S. 6 and other roads in Williams County. They look for drivers who are speeding, following too closely or disobeying other traffic laws.
"Troopers are trained to enforce all sections of the Ohio Revised Code so that is what they are looking for. We place a focus on crash-causing violations in an effort to reduce them. This includes seat belt enforcement, which we have zero tolerance for," Stidham said.
The post commander explained that patrol officials review crash and criminal arrest data for Defiance and Williams counties each year and use this information to develop patrol assignments.
"We hope to reduce the number of crashes by enforcing crash-causing violations. We are also hoping to reduce crime by focusing on the criminal offenses that occur in a specific area," Stidham said.
In Napoleon, officers are using a different tool to help bring drivers into compliance with traffic laws, Police Chief Bob Weitzel said.
Police have deployed a radar-powered speed detection sign that allows drivers to see their speed. The sign flashes the speed number to the driver when he or she is traveling over the speed limit.
"We've deployed the sign to areas where we have gotten calls about speeding traffic. It actually will bring the traffic into compliance for a period of time. It's a good enforcement tool," Weitzel said.
The chief explained that the Scott Street area requires frequent patrols because of the volume of traffic. He added that officers also watch the downtown area during certain times of the day and patrol neighborhoods when residents report risky driving behavior.
"We patrol where the highest amount of traffic is going to be, tied in with the history of the area," Weitzel said. "We all know when school lets out and shifts change in factories that there will be gridlock in the downtown area. Sometimes the presence of a patrol car alone is a good enforcement tool."
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