Speeders, drivers who ignore forbidden turns on red and those who favor rolling through stop signs had best beware: Chicago police are looking for you like never before.
The department announced two new tools Tuesday to catch traffic lawbreakers: a batch of high-tech, hand-held laser guns to nab speeders and a team of officers dedicated to traffic enforcement.
More than 1,800 tickets have been written since police in a few areas started testing the new programs in early September.
Enforcing speed limits in the city previously had been done with a handful of vehicle-mounted radar guns. Police say there are close to a dozen such radar guns, but an alderman who leads the City Council’s Transportation Committee said the number was far smaller.
The effort should have come sooner, said Ald. Tom Allen (38th), chairman of the Transportation and Public Way Committee.
“It’s a step in the right direction since before this, we had three to five radar-equipped vehicles in the whole city of Chicago,” Allen said. “We have to reprogram the thinking of the police department to place a priority on this. It’s a violation of the law. When you just let it pass, it escalates.”
Allen has been calling for increased traffic enforcement from police for more than three years, and he helped push the city to install cameras at intersections that catch drivers turning left on red lights. The additional officers and laser guns further the effort and could lead to arrests for gun or drug possession, he said.
“There isn’t a neighborhood in the city that isn’t at risk based on the driving behavior of citizens, coupled with the lack of any meaningful response from law enforcement. It’s not because [police] didn’t care; it’s because they haven’t had any tools.”
Suddenly among their tools are LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) guns, which use lasers to track passing cars, giving officers far more effective and accurate speed readings than radar, police said. The department has bought about 15 of the guns and plans to buy another 50, said Cmdr. Neal Sullivan of the Traffic Division.
Illinois State Police have used the guns to enforce speed limits for more than 10 years.
While police were trying out their laser guns near the intersection of Irving Park Road and Cumberland Avenue, residents begged them to stay and tried enticing them with food.
“They were just happy we were there,” said Sgt. Greg Reynolds of the Targeted Traffic Team. “People want us doing things like this.”
Indeed, John Mauk, 49, a trader climbing into his silver Audi, said he rarely speeds and hopes those around him will be forced to slow down.
“It’s a great idea,” he said. “I see people doing 45 or 50 all the time in a 30 on my way home. Now they need to crack down more on people talking on their cell phones while driving.”
Kisha Wade, 26, a nurse who drives a maroon Saturn, said she doubts the new enforcement will slow her down.
“If I’m in a hurry, I speed, and I’m usually in a hurry because I’m usually so late to leave,” she said. “I’ve had a couple speeding tickets, and I still speed.”
Then again, she was nailed by a camera that caught her turning left on a red light.
“I’m careful there because I got caught,” she said. “So maybe I will be on the lookout more.”
Deputy Supt. Charles Williams said the effort has nothing to do with generating revenue.
“If individuals out on our streets don’t want us picking up revenue, it’s very simple: Obey traffic laws,” Williams said. “This is an effort on our part to make our streets safer.”
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TRAFFIC ENFORCERS
Chicago police plan to train officers from each shift and each district on the laser guns, meaning at a given time, at least one could be in use in each of the city’s 25 districts. In a pilot program at a Northwest Side district that began in early September, close to 500 speeding tickets were written, police said.
In addition to every district’s having a laser gun, members of the newly formed Targeted Traffic Team also will get them. Also known as T3, the unit will be deployed wherever traffic enforcement is needed based on citizen complaints, accident data and observations from police commanders.
Formed Sept. 22, the unit of 25 officers and three sergeants already has written more than 1,300 tickets, police said.
— Tribune
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PRIVATE EYES, THEY’RE WATCHING YOU
The Police Department’s new laser guns to catch speeders aren’t the only machines monitoring your daily life.
Street corners: The city announced last week that another 100 police cameras are headed to high-crime street corners. Two hundred cameras with flashing blue lights already monitor the streets. Critics say the cameras can stigmatize a neighborhood; officials say they deter crime and that residents are clamoring for more.
Red light: Cameras are mounted at high-accident intersections throughout the city to catch motorists who blow through red lights. The $90 tickets are mailed to car owners regardless of whether they were driving at the time. A lawsuit is challenging the constitutionality of that. City officials say their goal is to have cameras at about 280 intersections by 2010.
I-PASS: Don’t expect a free ride on Chicago-area toll roads. If you drive through open road tolling lanes without an I-PASS transponder, a camera will capture your license plate and your picture. Drivers get three passes, but after the fourth violation can expect a $20 fine (plus toll costs) in the mail.
— Tribune
