Calls on reckless drivers are received frequently

By: 
Ron Craig

Almost every day, we receive multiple calls reporting reckless drivers on the township’s roadways. Each time, we will make every effort to catch up to these vehicles, but most of the time we do not have a unit in that particular area.
We seriously want to get these erratic drivers off the road, especially if they are impaired. Laws allow us to make traffic stops for reckless driving if the information we receive is accurate and specific. Getting a license plate number is a big plus.
We have 36 square miles to patrol in the township. When these calls come into our dispatchers, our units may be on other calls at the time, which makes trying to catch the reckless drivers almost impossible. Even if our officers are not on other calls, they may be at the opposite end of the township.
Even if the reported erratic driver is going only 55 miles per hour—and many times they are also speeding—our officers cannot justify driving at high speeds to attempt to catch up to them. This would jeopardize the safety of the officer and others on the roadway.
When our units are out of position to reasonably get to the location of the reported erratic driver, we will advise our dispatcher to notify the jurisdiction to which the driver is headed so they may be watching for the vehicle.
For example, if we get a report of a reckless driver heading eastbound on Woodville Road (State Route 51) from the area of Bradner Road, we will likely tell our dispatchers to notify Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and give them the information. If we get a report of one headed west on State Route 795 from Lemoyne Road, we will tell the dispatcher to notify Perrysburg Township Police.
If the caller is following behind such a vehicle, the dispatcher may ask the reporting driver to stay on the phone so we may get updates on the location of the reckless operator. Of course, we must keep in mind that we do not want to promote distracted driving on the part of the reporting caller, so it may be helpful if there is someone else in that car that can continue to talk to the dispatcher.
We encourage people to report reckless operation of motor vehicles, but we do not want them to be discouraged when we are unable to catch up to them to make a traffic stop. If we are able to make a traffic stop and take one impaired driver off the road, it makes the other times worth it.

This article is a public service from the Community Policing/Crime Prevention Division of the Lake Township Police Department. Township residents may obtain further information on crime prevention and public safety topics by contacting Ron Craig, crime prevention specialist/community policing officer, at 419-481-6354.

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