Woodridge Trustees: Seat Belt Enforcement Violates Drivers' Privacy
If approved, the unit would launch this summer with two Woodridge police officers devoted to traffic issues, including speeding, driving under the influence and seat belt enforcement.
Woodridge Trustee David Pittinger blasted a proposed Woodridge Police Department traffic unit, saying it would create village policy allowing officers to look into cars for seat belt enforcement and "grossly violate residents' privacy."
The new unit, which the Woodridge Police Department hopes to establish by this summer, will be devoted to traffic issues, including speeding, driving under the influence and seat belt enforcement. The Village Board will vote on the proposed traffic unit at a future meeting. Trustees meet next on Thursday, March 22.
"We get a lot of phone calls regarding speeding vehicles in their neighborhoods," Woodridge Police Chief Ken Boehm said. "We feel by having dedicated traffic officers we'll be able to provide a better service to those residents' concerns as well as areas we've identified that require additional traffic services."
Having a dedicated traffic unit means that patrol officers will not be called away from performing other services in the community, Boehm said.
The new unit is planned to include two officers trained in accident reconstruction and traffic enforcement who would work Monday through Friday during high-traffic hours. They would focus on areas of high traffic and residential traffic complaints.
Pittinger denounced the unit solely in terms of seat belt enforcement. He urged the board to make a "pro-liberty approach," to "make a decision where we decide not to look into people's cars."
"I think seat belt enforcement is a gross violation of people's personal privacy," Pittinger said. "The point of policing is to protect people from others, not to protect people from themselves."
Special safety check events, like the one to be held on St. Patrick's Day, are usually held for four to five hours and require the presence of six to eight police officers, Boehm said.
Officers look at a wide spectrum of violations during the seat belt checks, including expired licenses, warrants and vehicle violations, Boehm said. These checks include making sure child safety seats are used correctly.
The checks are important because seat belts reduce injuries in accidents, Boehm said.
During a special Village Board budget workshop March 3, Pittinger said the methodology for collecting statistics on whether seat belts save lives is flawed and it would be a mistake for Woodridge to adopt the same policy as Springfield.
"It's unfortunate that our state has a different view of it, to manage our lives to such a degree," he said.
Trustee Greg Abbott agreed with Pittinger. No other trustee voiced either support or concerns related to the new unit.
"These laws are on the books for a reason," Boehm said. "We want people to be safe when people are driving through our community, and seat belts are a part of that."
Tom Koz
9:22 am on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
So called "Safety Check" Points ARE a violation of your liberty!! Being detained, even if just temporarily, and searched without probable cause!!!
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little tempoary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" Benjamin Franklin
Beth L Galbreath
9:25 am on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Unfortunately, when people ignore safety laws, whether seat belts or helmets or other traffic laws, the resulting increase in serious injuries (and deaths) raise health care costs and insurance costs for all of us. So the law is not just a matter of protecting people from themselves. The traffic unit is a great plan.
Tom Koz
9:38 am on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The use of tobacco, alcohol, sugar, caffeine and hundreds if not thousands of other things result in increases in serious illness (and deaths) raising health care costs and insurance costs for all of us - SHOULD we ban all??? How many do you use Beth???
Should we require no swimming pools over 2 feet deep?? Require ALL people to wear life vests at all times while in their pools??? Allow goverment officials to come and inspect you and your family in your pool to make sure you are following their rules??
Maybe we should start inspecting the lunches you give your kids when you send them off to school?????
Dan De Luca
10:56 am on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
They can sit in my driveway and radar all they want. I am tired of the people who race down Crabtree at 40 mph everyday.
As far as DUI inforcement go for it. Most of them come from Naperville anyway and they can bust all the gang bangers coming from the city to pedal herion in Naperville too.
Will Sperling
10:58 am on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
We tried this at WPD in the 1970's; The results were somewhat skewed because the assigned traffic officer was pulled off his traffic duties, and many times dispatched to back-up patrol cars on domestics, activated alarms, and other routine calls where a 2nd unit was necessary to cover. While being tied up, a junior or inexperienced officer was often sent to a traffic crash, because the traffic officer was tied up booking a prisoner, transporting someone to the County Jail, or other related necessary patrol duties. Let's hope that DuComm recognizes the importance of the traffic officer(s), and restricts their dispatches to their assigned traffic duties. Alas, that is not always possible when calls for police service are expanded and someone is required to make immediate response to a citizen on a non-traffic related incident.
Frank Ocean
2:16 pm on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tom, is your problem with seat belt enforcement/the seat belt law, or with a traffic unit being implemented? Or are you just looking for somewhere to whine where someone might listen to you?
I hope Mr. Pittinger realizes that everything he had issue with are things that not only are already done every day by cops around the country, but that they are issues that have to do with laws he doesn't like. His complaint should be with his colleagues in Springfield, not the local police. His job is to represent us in Woodridge, not get on a soap box because he's trying to make a name for himself. If he wants the law changed, he needs to do the same thing anyone else can. Contact the state reps and get them to change it. Start a campaign. If you get enough support, then majority rules and you get your way. If you don't, then you're in the minority and can go pout in a corner.
This will increase the safety of my neighborhood, so I'm all for it. And since, Mr. Pittinger, you work for me, then I hope you take that in to consideration.
This stuff is fun to read!
8:09 pm on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tom, before you argue, know what you are talking about. Probable cause is NOT necessary to search a person. It is necessary to make an arrest. Legal searches are done on people w/out probable cause every day by Officers for as long as I have been alive. It's OK to know facts before you speak publicly. By the way, I think Ben Franklin knew how to spell better than you too.
This stuff is fun to read!
8:12 pm on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
I hope you take my comments to heart Tom, or would it help to add several exclamation points to each sentence for emphasis!!! I think all the exclamations make my points more valid!!! In all seriousness, thank you for making me smile.
Adam West
8:43 pm on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Cops don't make the laws, lawmakers make the laws. Those opposed should write your congressmen. I personally don't agree with seatbelt laws. People who don't wear them provide valuable organs for those who want to live. The same can be said with helmet laws.