Thanks to a $120,000 grant from the Office of Traffic Safety and
15 radar units donated by the California Highway Patrol, the
Hollister Police Department soon will be able to more efficiently
nab speeders and expend the needed overtime to do it right,
according to the police chief.
Hollister – Thanks to a $120,000 grant from the Office of Traffic Safety and 15 radar units donated by the California Highway Patrol, the Hollister Police Department soon will be able to more efficiently nab speeders and expend the needed overtime to do it right, according to the police chief.
After three years of owning only three hand-held radar guns, the
department received the new radar units from the CHP about five months ago but just installed the first one as a prototype several weeks ago, said Chief Jeff Miller.
“The radar instructor has been very successful in using it,” he said. “There are days when he’ll issue 15 to 17 (speeding) citations.”
The radar hasn’t been used until recently because the department had to convert one of its reserve patrol cars into a “flat-top” car to use for traffic enforcement. Police took the light bar off the top of the car and installed it in the back, making it low-profile, Miller said.
All of the patrol cars won’t be flat-top cars when the rest of the radar units are installed, but the flat-top has enabled officers to ticket more people because drivers don’t realize its a police car, he said.
As of the end of July, the department already exceeded the amount of speeding citations issued in 2003, Miller said. There were 271 citations issued last year, and between January and July of this year there have been 297 given out throughout the city, he said.
The increase is due to the new radar unit, use of the hand-held units and officers’ concerted efforts to better address the traffic problem, Miller said.
“When all the new radar is out there you’re really going to see some things happen,” he said.
Although more citations have been given out than last year, San Benito Street resident Carol Lenoir hasn’t seen a reprieve from drivers flying past her house, especially in the early morning hours.
“It’s a highway out there and there’s not a cop in sight,” she said. “My children are prisoners in their own home because I can’t let them outside.”
Lenoir said she’d like to see some early-morning ticketing of commuters speeding out of town on their way to work.
“There’s absolutely no speed enforcement being done on San Benito Street,” she said. “We’ve got a problem and they keep promising they’re gonna fix it and I don’t see it being fixed.”
Miller said almost every officer in the department has attended a three-day class and is radar-certified, and after the department receives some parts its waiting on, it will install at least 10 cars with the units. He hopes them installed by October or November, he said.
The units, called Custom Golden Eagles, will be permanent fixtures in the cars instead of the hand-held radar guns.
They will allow officers to use the radar while the car is moving, while the hand-held guns only work while the car is stationary.
The department applied for the Office of Traffic Safety grant earlier in the year and it was approved by the Hollister City Council on Sept. 7, Miller said.
City Councilman Robert Scattini said he receives about five to 10 complaints a month about speeders, and is anxious to see more enforcement.
“It’s out of control,” said Scattini, who also is the county marshal. “I’ve got a black and white car and they pass me like I’m standing still. They’re so used to speeding they’re not even cognizant of a police car right in front of them.”
Scattini cited San Benito Street, San Felipe Road, San Juan Highway and other various streets as the city’s problem areas. He also noted that running stop signs is another major traffic problem cops need to enforce better.
“I don’t know what the stats are, but I’d like to see a major improvement,” he said.
Officers concentrating on traffic enforcement may focus on one area that’s particularly troublesome, such as the downtown area, or spread out throughout the city depending on the shift, Miller said.
“We’re also looking into issues where traffic scofflaws have warrants but haven’t taken care of them,” he said. “They better pay them soon, or they may be getting knocks on their doors and arrested for traffic warrants.”
Whether the new radar units and grant money for overtime make a major difference or not, Lenoir said she would like the citizens of Hollister to show a little more respect while driving through town.
“They said they were going to start using radar so I trained myself to go slow, and now I go slow just to be ornery,” she said. “People say they want people to go slow in their neighborhoods. All I’m asking is we receive the same respect on San Benito Street as the people up in Clearview.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
