Police Issue Numerous Violations In Traffic Enforcement Project

By Andrew Gorosko

It is important for the general public be aware of the police department’s ongoing heightened enforcement of traffic laws, according to Police Chief Michael Kehoe.

“We’ve heard from many, many residents over the past several years,” the police chief said of the numerous complaints police have received from the public about traffic law violations. Through their ongoing  heightened traffic enforcement project, police are addressing those concerns, he said.

Those complaints largely have focused on speeding, aggressive driving, and distracted driving.

At the chief’s request, the Police Commission in early February designated $20,000 in police overtime funds for increased traffic law enforcement. The enforcement project started in late February.

In the traffic enforcement project, police focused their efforts on March 31, 29, and 27, at multiple locations across town.

On March 31, two sergeants and four patrol officers conducted traffic enforcement in the morning.

From 6 to 8 am on Hanover Road, police issued 16 infractions for traveling too fast.

From 8 to 9:45 am on Hattertown Road, police issued eight infractions for traveling too fast and one written warning for that offense. Also, police handed out two infractions for using a handheld mobile telephone while driving and one written warning for failure to display two marker plates.   

On March 29, between 9 am and 5 pm, one sergeant and three patrol officers focused their efforts on nine locations in town, police said.

On Riverside Road, police issued one infraction for traveling too fast. At Main Street, police handed out two infractions for using a handheld mobile telephone while driving, one written warning for traveling too fast, and one written warning for failure to display a marker plate.

On Queen Street, two motorists received infractions for traveling too fast.

At Flat Swamp Road in Dodgingtown, five infractions were issued for traveling too fast, and five written warnings were given out for that offense. On Swamp Road in Botsford, police issued one infraction for speeding and gave out four infractions for traveling too fast.

In other enforcement activity, at the intersection of Brushy Hill Road and Huntingtown Road, police issued nine infractions to motorists for violating stop signs.

Also, on Hanover Road, one driver received an infraction for traveling too fast. One driver on Berkshire Road was issued an infraction for traveling too fast. On Wasserman Way, police gave one motorist an infraction for using a handheld mobile telephone while driving. Also, one driver there received a written warning for traveling too fast.

On Thursday, March 27, police broke their enforcement project into two four-hour blocks.

From 6 to 10 am that day, one sergeant and two patrol officers conducted enforcement on Main Street, Key Rock Road, and Taunton Hill Road.

On Main Street, the violations included one written warning for improper headlamps, one verbal warning for failure to illuminate headlamps, and one written warning for traveling too fast.

At Key Rock Road, enforcement activity focused on the offense of traveling too fast, resulting in seven infractions, five written warnings, and one verbal warning for that offense.

On Taunton Hill Road, offenses included three infractions for traveling too fast, one infraction for driving an unregistered vehicle, and one written warning for traveling too fast/failure to carry a vehicle registration.

Between 2 and 6 pm on March 27, three police officers worked on Main Street, Brushy Hill Road, and Philo Curtis Road.

At Main Street, eight drivers received infractions for using a handheld mobile telephone while driving and one driver received an infraction for passing on the right.

Some Philo Curtis Road motorists were found to be traveling too fast, with seven drivers receiving infractions and two drivers receiving written warnings for that offense. One driver there received an infraction for using a handheld mobile telephone while driving.

One Brushy Hill Road driver received an infraction for traveling too fast/failure to drive to the right.