Fort Wright Police Department will take a more “proactive approach to traffic enforcement” following Mayor Dave Hatter’s orders, according to Police Chief Ed Butler.
In the past, the city has tried to give out citations and tickets sparingly. However, concern from residents about reckless driving on city streets prompted the city to address the issue at the Feb. 7 city council meeting.
At that meeting, Hatter introduced the new approach and formally “ordered” Fort Wright Police, represented at this meeting by Captain Jonathan Colwell, to increase traffic enforcement.
“Generally, I don’t want to give Fort Wright residents tickets,” Hatter said. “It is not my intent to give out a lot of tickets, but nothing else seems to be getting through.”
The city has already attempted appealing to drivers through the government building’s main sign, asking for residents to be courteous and safe in driving.
On February 9, the city released a message to the public explaining the concerns that brought about this change and how it might affect drivers in Fort Wright.
“Residents across the city continue to express serious safety concerns about speeding, reckless driving, and failure to obey traffic signals,” Hatter wrote in this message.
While Chief Butler says that the number of car collisions in Fort Wright remains steady from year to year, the city has collected some evidence that points to an increase in reckless driving. A speed tracking sign on Amsterdam Road found that 70% of vehicles which passed that point during an eight day period in January exceeded the speed limit.
“I have asked the Fort Wright Police Department to increase traffic enforcement activities and to issue citations to all offenders, residents and non-residents alike,” Hatter said in the release. “You can expect to see increased police enforcement activities throughout the city for the near future.”
LINK asked Butler about this shift in approach.
“There is no change in the policing philosophy of [the Fort Wright Police Department],” Butler said. “The more proactive approach to traffic enforcement is being done with the goal of preventing potential issues that may occur if the driving behavior of some does not improve.”
This approach includes “regular police presence near identified problem areas.”
Hatter stressed at the council meeting and in the wide-released message that there is no correlation between traffic citations and the city’s revenue.
“Only an exceedingly small percentage of the fees associated with a citation are returned to the local community and this is for the express purpose of aid in covering the cost of DUI enforcement,” Hatter said. “The bottom line is that traffic violations do not generate any meaningful revenue for the city.”
Hatter urged the community to remember their motto of “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” when driving in Fort Wright.
“Please focus on the safety of your family, your neighbors, and the many visitors we have in our community, and please slow down, stop for stop signs, and follow our other traffic laws whenever operating a vehicle within the Fort Wright city limits.”