Grant Money To Be Used For Traffic Patrols

By Andrew Gorosko

With the help of a federal grant, town police plan to beef up local traffic control during rush periods in the mornings and evenings.

Acting Police Chief Michael Kehoe said September 18 police will start using the $6,000 grant in October to cover overtime costs for traffic control. The funds are expected to provide 100 or more man-hours of traffic patrols.

Police will focus their efforts during the two time periods during which there is the heaviest local traffic – the commuting periods from 6 to 10 am and from 2 to 6 pm, Acting Chief Kehoe said.

“Traffic is one of our main responsibilities,” he said. 

Besides covering costs for radar patrols, the funds will be used to cover local officers’ pay for work with the state police’s truck enforcement squad, Acting Chief Kehoe said.

“We’re going to be out there… looking for violators,” he said.

 Speeding, driving through red lights, and driving through stop signs are among the violations that police will seek out.

Acting Chief Kehoe said police are developing specific plans for increased traffic patrols under the grant program.

Patrols will focus on traffic problem areas and areas which are the subject of residents’ complaints.

How the town spends the law enforcement grant is subject to review by the state Office of Policy and Management. The $6,000 grant represents $5,400 in federal funds and $600 in state funds. The money will be spent between October 1, 2000, and September 30, 2001. The amount of money a municipality receives is based on its “violent crime index” as determined by the federal government.

A past similar law enforcement grant allowed police to retain an old patrol car and equip it with a radar unit and a large speed display. The display alerts oncoming motorists of the speed at which they are approaching that patrol car.

Earlier this year, police used other federal grant money to conduct two sobriety checkpoints at the intersection of Mile Hill Road and Trades Lane at Fairfield Hills.

During the course of those two checkpoints, police stopped an estimated total 1,100 motorists on the nights of the Newtown High School junior-senior prom and the high school graduation to check motorist sobriety. Police made several arrests for driving under the influence and issued many motor vehicle violations and warnings.