Crime & Safety
Borough Police Begin Targeted Traffic Enforcement
From crosswalk violations to cell phone use, Chatham Borough Police are using summons data and complaints from residents to triage the worst violations in town.
are redoubling their traffic enforcement efforts to target traffic safety in town.
Police Lt. Brian Gibbons told the borough council that the police and Traffic Safety Committee "had been approached regarding" several traffic issues, including residents walking in roadways, crosswalk violations and cellular phone use by motorists.
"We're working on a more targeted control to get the most out of our time and the officers' billing time," Police Chief Philip J. Crosson said.
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"We're working on a more focused, redirected inforcement campaign which includes essentially any issues presented in the community," Gibbons said, whether the complaints originate from the council level or from residents.
Each traffic complaint is being entered into a matrix, which Traffic Safety Officer Robert Sweetin uses to determine when and where enforcement will be the most efficient.
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"Using the networked computers, [we] put that out to all the squads so that they know not only what issues are presented, ... but where they are, what times they are and the triage of those issues," Gibbons said.
Police have cooperated with the borough's Parking Task Force, the borough engineer, the Safe Routes to School Committee and the Traffic Safety Committee to develop this matrix.
"It's been working very succesfully. Certainly there's only so much we can do at any time, so we're taking that available time and using it to address the issues that are the most pressing," Gibbons said.
Gibbons said the Safe Routes committee also gave police "a list of recommendations," many of which, he said, are recommended practices. "Those are in motion now," he said, and promised to go into more detail at the borough council's August meeting.
Safe Routes to School recently recognized Chatham Township, Chatham Borough and the School District of the Chathams for their efforts to _ through the SRTS program.
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