Peekskill police are focusing in on the citys biggest traffic problem areas with a new a new traffic enforcement initiative. In December of 2010 the new initiative was developed with the goal of reinforcing the importance of conducting consistent traffic enforcement operations every day on all three police shifts and to concentrate are forced efforts in areas where complaints have been received.
Police Chief Eugene Tumolo told Common Council members at their June 20 meeting the past six months efforts had been aimed at curbing serious traffic violations by motorists in the city. Were getting the word out and the serious offenders are getting tickets, Tumolo said. As part of the initiative a list was created which identifies 11 locations with specific traffic problems: Hudson Avenue from Wells Street to Washington Street and from South Street to Railroad Avenue; Requa Street from Depew to South Street; Bay Street from Depew Street to South Street; Maple Avenue from Montross Avenue to the city line; Constant Avenue from High Street to Division Street; the Highland Park neighborhood; The 1300 block of Lincoln Terrace; Freemont Street from Division Street to Raymond Street; Frost Lane at Linburgh Place; the 1800 block of Maple Avenue and the intersection of Requa Street and Simpson Place.
Data compiled during the initiative, charts of which are included in the adjacent slideshow, show a high number of stops and tickets on Hudson Avenue, with Requa Street showing an abnormally high number of stops and tickets for the amount of time it was patrolled. Problems noted include excessive speeding and running stop signs and traffic lights. A new traffic radar warning instrument is also being deployed and used to collect and analyze traffic-related data by the department. When asked by council members how the results of the initiatives results had compared to previous traffic patrols, Patrol Captain Paul Astrologo said the results had been more concentrated on problem spots. What its accomplished is that more tickets are being written in locations where the community has complained about traffic violations as opposed to tickets being written city-wide, Astrologo said. Patrol sergeants on all three tours have been directed to select one or more locations from the target list and decide one or more police officers from their shift to conduct traffic enforcement at the selected target site or sites. A logbook must be filled out by the shift sergeant on each tour for easy review and follow-up, and officers must record a traffic enforcement activity sheet which details the time location number of summons issued by the officer. Tumolo told the council cameras that record speeding or red light-running motorists and automatically issue tickets are already being used in Nassau County and elsewhere in the state and such technology would likely be used in Peekskill eventually. However, he said that the machines will result in a higher number of expensive tickets for residents since they dont give warnings even in the most minor cases. He said he hoped similar devices that could instead give visible warnings to residents would be available in the near future. Tumolo said that two low-profile vehicles would also soon be implemented by the force to help crack down on traffic violations.
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