The latest monthly report by the Norwich Police Department contains a good commentary about community policing and speeding tickets.
Recall the outcry leading up to and at the June 12 Selectboard meeting about the Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFB’s). Several residents suggested a heavier hand by the police in ticketing speeders was part of the solution to increased pedestrian safety.
That suggestion has some instant appeal. But the NPD commentary says that statistics don’t tell the whole story. More importantly, heavy ticketing conflicts with the practice of community policing. “The Norwich Police Department embraces a culture of community policing adhering to a philosophy built on creating partnerships in the community to collaboratively problem solve ways to remediate public safety concerns,” say the commentary.
Could the police department be heavy handed issuing financially costly tickets to motorists who violate the law. The easy answer is yes, and for a brief moment it was temping to say you want more tickets…you got it! But that is not who we are. We are a police department that believes in changing a community’s behavior through positive reinforcement, and relationship building. While at times tickets are necessary, on other occasions behavior can be modified by a stern look, a gentle reminder, or a gracious warning.
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Sometimes, the commentary observes, in a “close-knit community” like Norwich, “the embarrassment of being parked on the side of the road with blue lights flashing … or the discomfiture of being stopped by [police] officers whom you have grown to know and trust” is enough to hold the driver accountable.
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Originally posted on HereCast on July 5, 2019