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RADAR TUNING FORKS: Radar tuning forks will be tested by the NJ Division of Weights and Measures for departments N through Z at the March 7, 2001 meeting. Please keep your tuning forks together by rubber band or in a large envelope. Also bring along a blank department letterhead, a self addressed envelope, a purchase order or voucher. The cost is $5.00 per fork and made payable to NJ Division of Weights and Measures. If the meeting is canceled for any reason the tests will be done at the April 4, 2001 meeting. NJPTOA WEB PAGE: Our Web Page is still under reconstruction by Creative Web Solutions. Please visit the site and let us know what we can do to make it traffic officer friendly. Access the site by going to www.njptoa.com. Email your suggestions to Lt.Pcrook@pcrook.com. LEGISLATIVE STUFF: Copies of proposed legislation are available at our meetings. KEEP RIGHT: Drivers who refuse to give up the left lane, even when traveling below the legal speed limit, annoy other motorists and are the prime cause of aggressive driving. National surveys clearly indicate failure to keep to the right aggravates even the most courteous drivers. In our area the blame for most violations usually goes to New York drivers but oftentimes I am stuck behind plenty of Jersey plates as well. The Governor's Highway Traffic Safety Policy Advisory Council would like to see more enforcement of this statute because of the rage it creates. The law is clear and the violation is obvious. Maybe we can start a statewide trend by focusing on this violation and, at the same time, help make our roadways much safer. Let's call it the violation of the month for April 2001. If we all do even a small part, the summons activity will go up, aggressive driving incidents will go down and crashes will surely take a dive. Then we will know our enforcement power still works and others will have to take notice - notice that traffic officers can make a difference when they ban together and concentrate on a particular problem. Do your part. The statute is 39:4-82. COUNTY PRESIDENTS TAKE NOTE: I often get requests for a list of County Traffic Officer Association Presidents. If this applies to you, please forward the name of your association, a list of officers, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail, etc. We will publish the lists on our website and will not pass the information along to anyone without your permission. Please send the information to NJPTOA, 75 N. Martine Avenue, Fanwood, NJ 07023 - Attn: V. Cuzzolino. HIGH-TECH POLICING: High-speed pursuits will soon be a thing of the past when police vehicles are equipped with a simple device that will interrupt the electronics of the fleeing vehicle and knock off the ignition and fuel system. There will be wide-spread use of photo radar despite the reluctance of NJ legislators to legalize the device. Lasers, digital cameras, and computers will replace at scene diagramming and speed up crash investigations thus clearing the scene quicker. The demand and greed associated with oil based fuels will cause passenger cars to become smaller while trucks will get bigger so they can carry a bigger payload. Criminals will not acquiesce to mass transit and will use motor vehicles to sell their drugs and do their crime. All this points to an increasing need for traffic law enforcement and well trained police officers. We are not a dying breed. Rather, we are poised to take on the future in the same professional tradition as we handled the past.
During this period, there were 35-driver deaths, 10-passengers, 08-pedestrians, 01-motorcycle driver, 00-motorcycle passenger, and 00-pedacyclists. There were 54 fatalities in 53 crashes. OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR ADULT CROSSING GUARDS: The question often comes up, "may school crossing guards control or direct traffic?" Title 40A:9-154.4 says, in part, …"the chief of police shall have the right to position school crossing guards on any street or highway within the municipality … such guards may be stationed only when it is necessary to control or direct vehicular or pedestrian traffic during those times when it is necessary to control traffic during those time periods of a school day when it is necessary to control traffic or during any special event or program involving pedestrian crossings whenever it is deemed to be in the best interests of public safety." This law was enacted in 1979, and was our initiative. It was not the intention then nor is it now to permit crossing guards to direct vehicular traffic whenever it is not necessary to cross pedestrians. Although this may not seem clear in the statute to some, it is the case. The standard school guard training manual sets out procedures for crossing pedestrians and no where in the training does it address controlling or directing traffic at times when pedestrians are not crossing. Another valid point is that New Jersey adopted the National Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways for conformance standards (39:4-8b3). The Manual, 7E.05, states, "Adult guards should not direct traffic in the usual police regulatory sense. In the control of traffic, they should pick opportune times to create a safe gap. At these times, they should stand in the roadway to indicate that pedestrians are about to use or are using the crosswalk, and that all vehicular traffic must stop. Adult crossing guards should use a STOP paddle. This STOP paddle should be the primary hand-signaling device." Although the words "may" and "should" appear, this should not be interpreted as controlling or directing traffic by an adult school crossing guard is permissible. Other regulations clearly spell out training requirements for hand gestures for controlling or directing traffic, not STOP paddles, and who may do it. Simply put, adult school crossing guards do not receive this type of training nor are they mentioned in: 39:4-122, 39:4-80, 39:4-81. The only exception to this we can find is another law permitting fire police to control or direct traffic at a fire scene. Essentially, fire police and adult crossing guards share the same authority when it comes to controlling or directing traffic --- THEY MAY BUT ONLY DURING CERTAIN CONDITIONS. MEETING CANCELLATION: Usually we try not to cancel a meeting unless it becomes absolutely necessary. If we must cancel a meeting due to bad weather or for any other reason, the notice will be on the police computer network by 0600 on the date of the meeting and it will be posted on our Web Site. Always check either one during inclement weather.
NEXT MEETING, WEDNESDAY MARCH 7, 2001 - 10:00 AM |
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Copyright 2001; Content - N.J.P.T.O.A. |
