Oakwood’s main thoroughfare nabbed 292 of the total 970 votes cast on the Dayton Daily News Web site last weekend, followed by 184 votes for Interstate 675 near U.S. 35 and 96 votes for Spinning Road near Airway Road. The seven other choices garnered a high of 86 votes to a low of 15.
“How about anywhere in Oakwood? Even residential streets” are speed traps, wrote one reader who called himself Freedom Writer. Oakwood Police Chief Alex Bebris said he didn’t think much “of unscientific polls” but added that “it’s statistically proven by numerous studies that traffic enforcement is very useful and effective in reducing traffic crashes and injuries.”
Oakwood’s traffic citation rate has remained steady in recent years, growing just 2 percent between 2004 and 2008. By comparison during those four years, traffic tickets not involving impaired driving rose 59 percent in Dayton, 51 percent in the Fairborn-Beavercreek area, 36 percent in Clark County and 26 percent in Miami County, according to figures from the Ohio Supreme Court.
Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said Dayton police have joined forces with the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Montgomery County Sheriff’s office in recent years to reduce fatalities in Montgomery County by stepping up traffic enforcement. Biehl said Montgomery County has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the state.
Even so, many motorists feel the rise in ticketing is tied to the weak economy and the need for more government revenue. “It’s a trend across the country,” said Jim Baxter, president of the National Motorists Association, an advocacy group based in Wisconsin.
Local police union officials say officers are not held to specific quotas for ticketing but they are expected to meet certain averages. Police supervisors “don’t use the word ‘quota.’ They’re smarter than that. But if you fall below a certain productivity level, they consider that disciplinable,” said Tim Roop, past president of the Greene County division of the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police.
State, local and county governments divide the revenues from traffic tickets, depending on the jurisdiction writing the ticket and the code section violated.
In Dayton Municipal Court, for instance, a speeding ticket for $145 written by a Dayton police officer includes a fine of $66 that goes into either the city general fund or the county law library fund, depending on violation. If a state trooper writes the ticket, the $66 fine would accrue only to the state. The remaining $79 cost portion of the ticket is split between city and state — $45 to the city of Dayton and $34 to state coffers, municipal court officials said.
Dayton police union leader Randy Beane said Dayton officers have long had concerns that ticket writing is part of their annual performance review. He said officers are measured against the average number of tickets written by other officers in their district or on their shift.
“There are enough valid tickets to be issued out there that we shouldn’t, and don’t, target innocent drivers,” Beane said.
He added that ticket writing can divert some officers from tasks they perform best, such as bettering community relations, making arrests or recovering stolen vehicles.
Both police supervisors and officers say they dislike the term “speed trap.” They say they are simply enforcing the posted speed limits motorists should be observing.
Roop did acknowledge that many officers know where the traffic pickings are best. “For me, I go to certain spots where I usually catch people speeding. It’s kind of like fishing — you find a good spot and you keep going back to it.”
Some local police jurisdictions have seen a decline in ticket writing, in particular the city of Moraine, where citations dropped 41 percent between 2004 and 2008.
“We certainly don’t put any pressure on our officers to write tickets,” said Moraine Police Chief Thomas Schenck. “My philosophy is, if a ticket needs to be written, write it,” but officers are not evaluated for how many tickets they issue, he said.
“In our department, a warning and a ticket are treated the same,” said Moraine Police Lt. Tracy Harpster.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2437 or jdebrosse@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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