WILTON — A greater police presence on town roads has resulted in an 11 percent decrease in the number of crashes in 2012, based on a five-year average.
Police Chief Heidi Wilcox recently updated the Board of Selectmen on the statistics the department received from the Maine Traffic Safety Division.
“This decrease is substantial and a direct result of a proactive presence on our roads,” she said in her quarterly report. “It means that injuries were averted as well as thousands of dollars worth of damage.”
A grant from the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety in December 2012 paid for extra patrols and roadblocks. In August, the Police Department joined the 2013 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, along with other state and local police departments.
Grants provided patrol help with seat belt and drunken driving checks this year, Wilcox said.
From Sept. 1 to Dec. 1, Wilton officers made 466 motor vehicle stops, she said. These were in addition to dealing with “90 criminal offenses reported and making 55 arrests or criminal charges being made and brought forward for prosecution.”
The department received a grant for $10,000 from the Department of Highway Safety to continue patrols for drunken drivers, which will continue through September 2014, she said.
The department also received $5,270 through a federal Jag Byrne Grant again this year. These grants are usually intended for equipment for the department, she said. Most of the funds have been invested in firearms.
A portion of the money will be used to purchase new cameras for officers to take photos at accident or crime scenes, she said.
Some selectmen questioned enforcement of town ordinances after Wilcox gave her report during a recent board meeting.
Selectman Terry Brann questioned the purpose of having ordinances, particularly a parking ordinance, if they are not enforced.
Sometimes it’s difficult to know about violations, but when officers do, they act, Wilcox said.
“It’s a citizen’s responsibility to call,” Selectman Tom Saviello said of ordinance violations.
Selectman Tiffany Maiuri also reasoned that the department has to prioritize the need and time they have to cover the department’s workload. A response to a crime or accident needs to take precedence, it was noted.
The department recently barking dog ordinance case to court. After police spent several hours preparing for it, the outcome was a $50 fine for the dog owner, Wilcox said.
Wilcox also told the board that Wilton officer Andrew Hardy graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy on Dec. 20. Officer Derek Daley is preparing to start his training in January and officer Brian Lynch will attend the Police Academy in Vassalboro in August.
abryant@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
