City Hears Report On U.S. 30 Patrol Hours
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Among the annual reports presented at the Warsaw city council meeting Monday night, and of particular interest to the members, was a report about patrol hours along U.S. 30.
The Warsaw-area stretch of the interstate highway is listed as the second most dangerous in Indiana, according to Indiana sheriffs' reports.
Warsaw Police Department U.S. 30 selective enforcement hours were detailed from May 11, 2000, through the end of the year.
WPD Capt. Paul Schmitt attended the meeting and explained what the numbers meant when questioned by several councilmen.
Councilman Bill Rhoades asked why the program began in May and why it was called "selective enforcement."
Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins answered part of the question, saying that was probably the date he asked Chief Steven Foster to step up the patrolling.
Schmitt said the 290.5 selective enforcement hours were in addition to regular duty time. Officers are signing up specifically to patrol the federal highway.
Schmitt said the patrol cars went on and off the highway throughout their regular duty hours.
"The selective enforcement steps up our presence," the captain said.
Councilman Charles Smith said it looked like a ticket was written for every three stops. According to the report, 657 warnings were issued, 294 summons were written and 10 custodial arrests were made.
"I'd like to see more tickets written," Smith said.
Schmitt said during Operation Pull-Over, from Feb. 25 through March 10, more tickets will be written. Operation Pull Over is a statewide program designed to pay off-duty officers to concentrate on traffic offenses and reckless driving. Most of the county's law enforcement agencies will be involved in the stepped-up enforcement.
"Make sure the public understands you're patrolling that highway," councilman Jeff Grose said. "My district is along 30 and people are calling me and asking what we're doing about vehicles running stop lights."
The figures show WPD responded to 1,045 accidents on U.S. 30 in 2000, an average of 89 per month. Incidents, which include the number of accidents, were given as 2,996 in 2000, up 212 from 1999. The department responded to an average of 249 incidents each month in 2000 on U.S. 30.
Warsaw police activity also was broken down by type of call in a days-of-the-week analysis. According to dispatcher Millie Francis, these calls were recorded from Aug. 16 to Dec. 31, when the central dispatching system became operational. The number of calls received on weekends was predictably higher. Of the 6,031 calls in the four-and-a-half month period, requests for lock-out service numbered 801, the most received in any category, followed by traffic stops, given as 569, and property damage accidents, given as 565.
The Animal Control - Ordinance Violation Activity Report also was presented. One hundred sixty-six animals were taken to the animal shelter and 71 dead animals were collected.
The city received 122 calls about abandoned vehicles, 42 about trash and 57 about weeds.
On second reading the council passed an amendment to the Code of Laws, with a 5-to-1 vote. George Clemens was absent. Councilwoman Trish Brown again voted against Ordinance 2001-01-02.
In January she objected to the allowable size of unpermitted "shed" construction.
The ordinance allows homeowners to have a 120-square-foot accessory building without applying for a building permit. Most small prefabricated outbuildings conform to the 120-square-foot size and the former ordinance required a permit for anything larger than 100 square feet.
Brown said for the 10 percent of homeowners who build their own sheds, plans should be reviewed.
"They could put up anything," Brown said one month ago.
This month Brown said she figured the ordinance was two in one, with one specifically about building and the other specifically about zoning.
"We're just trying to make it clearer about when we issue a building permit," said city planner Jeff Noffsinger. "The building commissioner (Art Heredia) supports the change."
Brown said more than $20,000 was recently spent to organize the code and this ordinance seems to muddle it again.
Wiggins defended the expenditure, saying it cleaned up a lot of ills, but he said he saw Brown's point.
In another matter. Rhoades was concerned over having to install three more overhead street lights along Logan Street at South Drive, Dugout Drive and between the bridge and utility easement, as recommended by the traffic commission.
The lights were unanimously approved but Rhoades wondered how the lights were omitted from the original plans in the first place.
"How do we not do this again?" he asked. "We paid some people a lot of money [for engineering]. How do we avoid this?"
"We need to say up front we want street lights," Noffsinger said.
"Don't you have some kind of check list?" Rhoades asked.
Noffsinger said there was no curb and gutter on the south side of the road either, another thing the city needed to say they wanted up front.
Councilman Jerry Patterson asked if anyone contacted the school about paying for the street lights.
Noffsinger said he did and the answer was "no."
On first reading the council also approved Ordinance 2001-02-01, which concerns several traffic safety issues.
The ordinance issues two-way stop signs at the northwest and southeast corners of the intersection of Morton and Prairie streets; no left turn on east Center Street westbound for a distance of 200 feet west of Harrison Street; and establishment of a no-parking zone on the east side of Logan Street from Eagle Street to Winona Avenue.
The no left turn off Center Street prohibits turning into the Mutual Federal Savings parking lot and the council discussed the restriction.
Brown said notices were sent to Mutual Federal customers for two months advising them not to turn left off Center Street.
"It's too bad this has happened in a commercial area," Joe Thallemer said about the traffic-prone area.
City council members are Mayor Ernie Wiggins, Trish Brown, George Clemens, Jeff Grose, Jerry Patterson, Bill Rhoades, Charlie Smith and Joe Thallemer. [[In-content Ad]]
Among the annual reports presented at the Warsaw city council meeting Monday night, and of particular interest to the members, was a report about patrol hours along U.S. 30.
The Warsaw-area stretch of the interstate highway is listed as the second most dangerous in Indiana, according to Indiana sheriffs' reports.
Warsaw Police Department U.S. 30 selective enforcement hours were detailed from May 11, 2000, through the end of the year.
WPD Capt. Paul Schmitt attended the meeting and explained what the numbers meant when questioned by several councilmen.
Councilman Bill Rhoades asked why the program began in May and why it was called "selective enforcement."
Warsaw Mayor Ernie Wiggins answered part of the question, saying that was probably the date he asked Chief Steven Foster to step up the patrolling.
Schmitt said the 290.5 selective enforcement hours were in addition to regular duty time. Officers are signing up specifically to patrol the federal highway.
Schmitt said the patrol cars went on and off the highway throughout their regular duty hours.
"The selective enforcement steps up our presence," the captain said.
Councilman Charles Smith said it looked like a ticket was written for every three stops. According to the report, 657 warnings were issued, 294 summons were written and 10 custodial arrests were made.
"I'd like to see more tickets written," Smith said.
Schmitt said during Operation Pull-Over, from Feb. 25 through March 10, more tickets will be written. Operation Pull Over is a statewide program designed to pay off-duty officers to concentrate on traffic offenses and reckless driving. Most of the county's law enforcement agencies will be involved in the stepped-up enforcement.
"Make sure the public understands you're patrolling that highway," councilman Jeff Grose said. "My district is along 30 and people are calling me and asking what we're doing about vehicles running stop lights."
The figures show WPD responded to 1,045 accidents on U.S. 30 in 2000, an average of 89 per month. Incidents, which include the number of accidents, were given as 2,996 in 2000, up 212 from 1999. The department responded to an average of 249 incidents each month in 2000 on U.S. 30.
Warsaw police activity also was broken down by type of call in a days-of-the-week analysis. According to dispatcher Millie Francis, these calls were recorded from Aug. 16 to Dec. 31, when the central dispatching system became operational. The number of calls received on weekends was predictably higher. Of the 6,031 calls in the four-and-a-half month period, requests for lock-out service numbered 801, the most received in any category, followed by traffic stops, given as 569, and property damage accidents, given as 565.
The Animal Control - Ordinance Violation Activity Report also was presented. One hundred sixty-six animals were taken to the animal shelter and 71 dead animals were collected.
The city received 122 calls about abandoned vehicles, 42 about trash and 57 about weeds.
On second reading the council passed an amendment to the Code of Laws, with a 5-to-1 vote. George Clemens was absent. Councilwoman Trish Brown again voted against Ordinance 2001-01-02.
In January she objected to the allowable size of unpermitted "shed" construction.
The ordinance allows homeowners to have a 120-square-foot accessory building without applying for a building permit. Most small prefabricated outbuildings conform to the 120-square-foot size and the former ordinance required a permit for anything larger than 100 square feet.
Brown said for the 10 percent of homeowners who build their own sheds, plans should be reviewed.
"They could put up anything," Brown said one month ago.
This month Brown said she figured the ordinance was two in one, with one specifically about building and the other specifically about zoning.
"We're just trying to make it clearer about when we issue a building permit," said city planner Jeff Noffsinger. "The building commissioner (Art Heredia) supports the change."
Brown said more than $20,000 was recently spent to organize the code and this ordinance seems to muddle it again.
Wiggins defended the expenditure, saying it cleaned up a lot of ills, but he said he saw Brown's point.
In another matter. Rhoades was concerned over having to install three more overhead street lights along Logan Street at South Drive, Dugout Drive and between the bridge and utility easement, as recommended by the traffic commission.
The lights were unanimously approved but Rhoades wondered how the lights were omitted from the original plans in the first place.
"How do we not do this again?" he asked. "We paid some people a lot of money [for engineering]. How do we avoid this?"
"We need to say up front we want street lights," Noffsinger said.
"Don't you have some kind of check list?" Rhoades asked.
Noffsinger said there was no curb and gutter on the south side of the road either, another thing the city needed to say they wanted up front.
Councilman Jerry Patterson asked if anyone contacted the school about paying for the street lights.
Noffsinger said he did and the answer was "no."
On first reading the council also approved Ordinance 2001-02-01, which concerns several traffic safety issues.
The ordinance issues two-way stop signs at the northwest and southeast corners of the intersection of Morton and Prairie streets; no left turn on east Center Street westbound for a distance of 200 feet west of Harrison Street; and establishment of a no-parking zone on the east side of Logan Street from Eagle Street to Winona Avenue.
The no left turn off Center Street prohibits turning into the Mutual Federal Savings parking lot and the council discussed the restriction.
Brown said notices were sent to Mutual Federal customers for two months advising them not to turn left off Center Street.
"It's too bad this has happened in a commercial area," Joe Thallemer said about the traffic-prone area.
City council members are Mayor Ernie Wiggins, Trish Brown, George Clemens, Jeff Grose, Jerry Patterson, Bill Rhoades, Charlie Smith and Joe Thallemer. [[In-content Ad]]