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.

A word about child restraints.

Just a few minute ago I received a phone call from a concerned grand-mother in town. She was asking me about Missouri’s seat belt and car seat laws. Apparently, her daughter was letting her granddaughter ride around in her car without being properly restrained. Wearing a seat belt and having your children in proper car seats is not only the law…it’s just plain common sense! If I see a vehicle with a child not properly seated and restrained, that vehicle will be stopped and the driver will be issued a summons. I am implementing a ZERO-TOLLERANCE policy to my officers when it comes to this issue! Why? I’m glad you asked.

Driving or riding in an automobile can be dangerous. Nationally, motor vehicle crashes kill tens of thousands of drivers and passengers and injure nearly two million each year. The chance of being in an auto crash in your lifetime is virtually 100 percent. On average, you’ll be in a traffic crash every 10 years, and you have a one in 50 chance of being killed. No matter how safely you drive, you can’t control other drivers. Seat belts are your best protection against drivers who are careless or who have been drinking. It takes about three seconds to fasten your seat belt when you get into a car or truck to travel. Using lap/shoulder belts cuts your chances of being killed or seriously injured in a crash 40-50 percent.

Did you know that an unbelted occupant of a 30- mph car crash hits the windshield or other interior surfaces with the same impact as a fall from a three-story building? Did you know that people without seat belts have been killed at speeds as low as 12 mph? Here is a fact of interest… The effectiveness of an air bag system drops 40 percent when a seat belt is not used. Nationally, traffic crashes kill about five people every hour and, in Missouri, one person every nine hours. Seat belts would have saved the lives of more than half the car passengers killed each year. A driver’s chance of being killed in a traffic crash if not wearing a seat belt is 13 times greater than that of a driver who is buckled up.

How to use Seat Belts Properly:

A seat belt can only protect you if it’s used and used properly. Each person needs his/her own seat belt. Make sure all seat belts are working properly. Adjust your seat belt so it fits snugly over your hip bones. It should cross your lap low on the hips, not high across your stomach. Wear your seat belt as low on the hips as possible, so the impact force will be spread over the stronger hip bones. Seat belts should be worn snugly and with no slack. When you are pregnant, wear your seat belt underneath the abdomen. The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother.

Just what is the law?

Everyone riding in the front seat in automobiles and trucks with a licensed gross weight of less than 12,000 lbs. must wear seat belts.

Persons less than 18 years of age operating or riding in trucks (regardless of gross weight for which licensed) must wear seatbelts.

No person under age 18 is allowed to ride in the unenclosed bed of a truck with a licensed gross weight of less than 12,000 lbs. on lettered highways, federal and state maintained highways, and within city limits. There are exemptions for agricultural purposes, special events, and parades.

The law requires children under age four, regardless of their weight, riding in any type vehicle be secured in an approved child safety seat. To make sure the child safety seat meets Federal Safety Standard No. 213, check to see that it was manufactured after January 1981 and says dynamically tested on the label.

It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure passengers under the age of 16 are safely buckled up. Those 16 and over are responsible for themselves.

Remember, it’s not just the law. It’s common sense!