Traffic Division
Sgt Richard Gillespie

    So you speed sometimes and gingerly run an occasional stop sign.  No problem.  Until that stop sign-runner goes down your street or a driver speeds through a school zone where your child waits for the bus.  Traffic officers keep this kind of activity in check.  They enforce traffic laws for the safety of everyone-- in cars, on bikes, and on foot.  No one likes to get a ticket, but if a ticket stops us from doing things that put safety at risk, we all benefit.

    Routine traffic stops for speeding motorists and red light running often turn out to be not so routine,  Uninsured motorists.  Suspended licenses.  Drunk drivers.  Illegal firearms.  Drugs.  Fugitives.  Discoveries like these are all in a day's work for many traffic officers.  Because the bad element generally steers clear of communities with visible traffic enforcement, burglary and vandalism rates drop.  Who would have guessed that traffic enforcement would be such a great way to fight crime?

    Believe it or not, traffic officers save you money.  Say a guy-- an uninsured driver not wearing a seat belt-- speeds down the road, loses control and hits a guardrail.

Who pays for the emergency services?
 His hospital stay?
 His physical therapy?
 And guardrail repairs?
Not the guy, but your local government, which is generously funded by You The Taxpayer.

    Crashes are expensive.  But costs are controlled every time a traffic officer enforces the laws designed to protect us and keep us safe.