Spotting a radar gun aimed at their vehicle Friday morning was enough to slow down several travelers -- but not everyone.
Equipped with a hand-held traffic radar gun and a clipboard, two members of the Rapid City Police Auxiliary spent the morning monitoring traffic in city neighborhoods.
The first post for the newly formed Neighborhood Speedwatch was on Park Drive, across the street from Corral Drive Elementary and Southwest Middle schools.
Jim White and Pat Coyne parked an unmarked vehicle about 50 feet from a speed-limit sign.
Cars, pickups, and SUVs zoomed by at various speeds. Rarely did Coyne’s radar gun record someone driving at or less than the 25 mph speed limit.
“Our champion was driving 43,” Coyne said.
While Coyne clocked the speed, White recorded license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions. When there was time, other details were added -- cell phone in use or the sex of the driver.
Had a police officer been on the scene, the “champion’s” reward could have been a $130 speeding ticket for exceeding the speed limit by 18 mph.
Instead, the registered owner of the vehicle will receive a letter from Rapid City Police Lt. James Johns advising him or her that the vehicle was observed speeding Nov. 20.
The letter will also remind vehicle owners that they are responsible for the safe and legal operation of their vehicle, regardless of who is driving.
Letters will go out to every driver who is clocked driving over the speed limit.
For White and Coyne, devoting a morning to monitoring traffic patterns is an easy way to give back to the community and help the police department.
Both men live on the fringes of the community and have observed plenty of speed violations. They believe Neighborhood Speedwatch will increase drivers’ awareness of speed limits.
“When people see the gun, they slow down,” Coyne said.
White, a retired school administrator, loves data and will assist in converting his clipboard notations into a police database.
It’s information that will be useful, according to Johns, who commands the traffic section of the police department. The statistical data that Neighborhood Speedwatch provides will be valuable in determining where officers need to be assigned, Johns said.
So far this year, Johns has received 92 traffic-related complaints, most involve speeding. Some areas are the source of repeated complaints. Normally, the only way to verify traffic issues is to assign an officer to monitor the area.
“I don’t have the resources to do that all the time,” Johns said.
Now, Neighborhood Speedwatch can compile the data to determine if there is a problem in a specific area. If there is, a uniformed officer will be assigned.
Speeding continues to be one of the biggest neighborhood concerns in the city, Johns said, but it takes manpower to repeatedly monitor problem areas.
Although they won’t write tickets, having auxiliary members on duty will send a message that someone is watching, Johns said.
Uniformed officers are the only ones who write tickets and warnings. The police department recently completed the installation of automated ticket writing systems in every patrol car. The computerized system is faster and reduces the chance for an error. Citations are printed on small printers mounted in the cars.
Through the end of October, officers issued 809 citations and 444 warnings. About 25 percent of those citations were for speeding.
Speeding was blamed for 832 traffic accidents in South Dakota in 2008. Four of those crashes resulted in fatalities, and 341 people were injured.
Neighborhood Speedwatch volunteers will increase community awareness about speeding and free up officers for other duties, Johns said.
Because they are volunteers, auxiliary members will work random schedules, and Johns will determine their assignments.
“They will be a great resource,” Johns said. “They’re another tool in the toolbox to address our problems.”
Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com.
