Traffic stops and tickets.

Our job is work towards the safety and security of all persons and property within the city limits of Bloomfield. That being said, I want to let you know that though my officers do make a number of traffic stops a year, they really do not make all that many. In 2006 there were 188 traffic stops according to the Missouri racial profiling reports. The 2007 report should be out soon. I know that this year we have had 248 traffic stops, as we speak. That is 1.67 stops a day. By the end of the year we may log between 500 and 600. More than any year in our history. With 248 stops you would think that we have written a high number of traffic citations but in fact we do not. I checked the stats earlier today and did you know that there have only been 4 citations written for speeding. Most of our citations deal with non-traffic issues such as peace disturbances, theft, tampering, animal control issues, and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Traffic stops are made for several reasons:

1. As a courtesy....to advise you of a problem with your vehicle.

2. To ensure public safety.

3. As an investigative tool in the discovery of criminal activity.

About a year ago a gentleman in our town was driving around with defective equipment. One of my officers stopped him and advised him of the violation. He later stated she was rude and hateful and stopped him for no legal reason. He further accused her of "profiling" because he was driving an older truck. I showed him the video of the stop which proved that he was the only one that got hateful during the contact. It also showed his defective equipment.

My officers will NEVER make a stop without a legal reason to do so. If I ever find out and prove that they did then the appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.

I would like to point out that since we installed a camera in the police vehicle we have only had the one complaint mentioned above. Kudos to the city for such a wise and useful purchase.

A little about the Chief...

For those of you who might be just a little bit curious about my background, here is a little information about me (the photo is from 2001):

Genesee Christian High School – Burton, MI. 1988
Midwestern Baptist College – Pontiac, MI – Studied General Psychology 1988-1990
St. Charles County Police Academy – class 1-490, Linn Creek, MO - 1/97
Lake Ozark Major Case Squad
Fugitive Extradition Advanced Training – Nashville, TN
Missouri Department of Corrections Academy – Park Hills, MO
Firearms Instructor Training – Cape Girardeau
Currently enrolled at Mineral Area College and TRCC working on Criminal Justice Degree
DataMaster Certified - 2006, 2008
Amateur Radio Technician License – KD0CIJ 12/5/2007
Man of the Year - Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce, 2006
Vice President of the Crowley Ridge Amateur Radio Club

I have worked for the following agencies and corporations:

Bloomfield MO Police Department - Ranks of Officer, Sergeant, and Chief
MO Dept. of Corrections - COI
TransCor America - Special Agent, Extradition Specialist Supervisor
Nevada MO Police Department - Officer
Stover MO Police Department - Officer
Miller County Sheriff's Department - Jailer, Road Deputy
Markell & Associates - Process Investigator (St. Louis)
Yale Enforcement Services - Cpl, Site Supervisor (East St. Louis)
Nationwide Security - (Southfield, MI)

My interests are: My Lord, My Family, and My Community
Hobbies: Amateur Radio, Recording Gospel Music
Pet Peeves: Corruption, wherever it may be and people who criticize what they don't understand.

I have lived in Bloomfield for eight wonderful years and I love it here! My goal is to complete my degree in Criminal Justice Administration and to one day (in the very far off future) teach law enforcement at the college level.

I have an open door policy and will freely take complaints, investigate them, and return to you with a disposition. I will also advise my supervisor, the Mayor, of each complaint.

A word about our police vehicles.

Last fall the city purchased two police vehicles. Both of these vehicles were replacements for two other vehicles that were no longer capable of utilizing to maintain a decent level of public safety. The city has received a great amount of criticism for the purchase of these vehicles. I would like to point out a few things.

The Ford Explorer has a smaller engine than the Crown Victoria and costs less to fuel. It gets a lot better gas mileage. The average daily operating cost for the Explorer is $6.42 while the cost of operating the Crown Vic is $11.47.

I would also like to point out that prior to the city owning a 4 WD capable vehicle (several years ago) the Police Department would shut down during bad weather, unless it was a life threatening emergency. We are now able to maintain an ongoing level of patrol.

The Ford Explorer was used a lot during the recent ice storm. We were able to transport quite a number of people to and from the warming shelter.

Almost all cities our size in the State of Missouri maintain a minimum of two police vehicles.
I worked for the small town of Stover in 1997. They maintained 4 full time officers and 2 police vehicles. Stover has a population of 968 and is .87 square miles. We have almost 2,000 people and have 1.40 square miles (which is about to increase with annexation). If you look at other small towns across the state and compare them to Bloomfield you will see what I am talking about.