Crews note speeding on Second Street
During the Colby-Abbotsford Police Commission meeting on May 9, members of the commission dove into a few complaints the police department has received regarding people speeding in that work zone.
Construction workers have complained a few times to the department that motorists are speeding past them in work zones and according to CAPD Police Chief Jason Bauer, one complaint resulted in a citation.
“I know some of the construction workers are complaining,” Bauer said. “One was so bad that they actually wrote up written statements and we wrote out a disorderly conduct for it. They gave us a plate number and he was issued a ticket.”
Bauer said this is a recurring issue with the city of Colby and the department has received multiple complaints on Second Street and other Colby streets in the past.
“We get complaints on Pine Street, Linden Street, Sixth and Seventh Streets, First Street and we go there with our marked unit and we sit there for a couple hours and nobody speeds because they see the car,” Bauer said. “Then we go away and they speed up again. Now, with the warmer weather, I’ve had a couple of motorcycle complaints.”
Commission President Todd Schmidt asked Bauer if there was a strategy to put a stop to the speeding within their jurisdiction.
Bauer didn’t have any new suggestions to remedy the speeding but said he would try to schedule more patrols in the area to curb the behavior when time would allow for it.
Commissioner Dan Hederer said he thinks kids heading to or leaving school might be at the root of the problem.
The commission noted that speeding is an overall issue in the area even as motorists are traveling out of the municipalities on Highway 13. Colby High School has also been contacted by the construction company regarding the speeding occurring on Second Street. The school sent out a statement in the morning announcements this week warning students that fines are doubled in work zones.
“The school has been contacted by the construction company working on Second Street in Colby regarding students driving too fast on second street during the school day,” the statement said. “This is a construction zone and as such fees double if ticketed. You must slow down or take a different route. Remember, leaving during study hall, during lunch, and during AST is a privilege that can be taken away. Please drive accordingly so we do not have any more issues. Thank you for your cooperation.”
_ Bauer and another officer installed cameras in the interview and intox rooms, saving money with an in-house installation.
“Everything is working properly, so Jessica is going to be very happy when she gets the next records request for videos off of that system. It’s going to be a piece of cake,” Bauer said.
_ New officer Branden Nelson started with the department on May 11. He has passed his background test and other tests required for hire. Nelson will begin a Wausau recruit class on August 22 which will run through December.
_ Last month, K9 Dodge was deployed three times which resulted in two drug arrests.
_ A rebuilt starter for the Dodge Durango squad vehicle was purchased for around $700 and was scheduled to be installed on May 10.
