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POUND RIDGE, N.Y. In the third of a series of three commercial vehicle inspection checkpoints held this spring, the Pound Ridge Police Department made 10 arrests and issued more than 40 summonses in an effort to crackdown on commercial truck drivers who are violating statues and regulations that could compromise safety on town roads.
Weve had more tows and arrests today than we had in other [two checkpoints] combined, said Pound Ridge Police Chief David Ryan during the detail, which was held Monday at Town Park.
Pound Ridge police worked the detail in conjunction with the state police and the county Department of Consumer Protection. Arrests, summonses and violations issued during the detail included:
- 6 companies cited for operating without the proper permits
- 1 company cited for operating without worker's compensation insurance for employees
- 5 individuals arrested and charged with driving without a drivers license
- 5 drivers arrested and charged with driving commercial vehicles with a suspended New York State drivers license
- 13 safety or equipment violations noted and warnings issued
- 42 summonses issued for a variety of violations
Conducted annually since 2005, Ryan said the details are done to ensure that commercial vehicles operating in Pound Ridge are in compliance with all of the statutes and regulations required under the law. As part of the detail, New York State troopers from the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit (CVEU) help Pound Ridge officers conduct inspections to make sure the trucks are safe and that equipment, such as brakes, are in proper working order. In addition, police confirm that drivers possess the proper credentials to carry the materials they are transporting and also possess the commercial licenses necessary for these large trucks.
The Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection was on hand to ensure that all commercial businesses operating in Pound Ridge had the proper permits and that employers carried insurance that protected homeowners in the event a contractors employees are injured on their property. But enforcement officers at the scene of the detail said word doesnt seem to be getting out that the statutes are being strictly enforced.
Its not catching on that we are doing these stops, which is to their own detriment, said Vincent Cassels, an inspector for the county Department of Consumer Protection. Weve found four unlicensed contractors so far and we are only halfway through the day.
Ryan said the stops are crucial to keep drivers and homeowners throughout Pound Ridge safe.
The work that these troopers perform is critical to making our highways safe, especially these narrow and windy roads in towns like Pound Ridge, Ryan said. To have these kind of major safety violations in fuel trucks or to find drivers operating trucks with loads thousands and thousands of pounds over the capacity of the vehicle is critical to preventing very serious accidents.
Ryan also praised the work of the Department of Consumer Protection.
Finding these companies that are operating without permits and conducting illegal business in Pound Ridge is critical to protecting homeowners from being victimized or even worse, finding themselves getting work done by unlicensed companies and then involved in litigation when the work is not done properly or a worker gets injured, he said.
All three details held this spring resulted in the following:
- 109 summonses issued
- 13 businesses charged with operating without home improvement licenses
- 20 drivers charged for having no drivers license or a suspended commercial drivers license
- 79 warnings for minor safety violations
- 20 vehicles taken out of service or towed
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