Equipment
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Brunswick Traffic Unit receiving
free laser from OTSO |
Each Traffic Unit car is equipped with both radar and laser speed measuring devices. Brunswick is a member of the Medina Safe Communities Coalition and participates in the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s traffic enforcement educational and enforcement blitzes through the Ohio Traffic Safety Office. Because of our participation, we have won several pieces of traffic enforcement equipment.
Last year the Traffic Unit participated in the national and state programs mentioned above, such as the Click It or Ticket and Over The Limit, Under Arrest campaigns and were entered into a drawing. We won a handheld laser and a new Dodge Charger that has been made part of the Traffic Unit fleet.
Neighborhood traffic complaints
For current complaints in progress, a traffic or patrol officer will be dispatched to investigate the complaint and take the appropriate enforcement action.
For complaints not in progress, the Traffic Sergeant assigns a traffic unit officer to periodically check the area. The checks are tracked through the dispatch computer system.
Repeated traffic complaints in the same area will be handled as follows:
- StealthStat computer traffic survey conducted (two-day period)
- Speed Awareness Trailer deployed (approx. one week)
- Enforcement by traffic officers, supplemented by patrol officers
- Follow-up StealthStat traffic study to analyze effects
To ask about having the Division speed monitor trailer placed in your neighborhood, or for other traffic concerns, call Brunswick Police at 330-225-9111 and ask for the Traffic Unit voicemail box. You may also contact the Traffic Sergeant, Sgt. Kevin Scullin, at kscullin@brunswick.oh.us or 330-225-9111.
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Commercial vehicle enforcement
The Traffic Unit operates the Division weight scale several times a month to check commercial trucks for weight law compliance, as well as safety and equipment violations. In addition, we maintain communication and a working relationship with the Medina County Sheriff's Office commercial enforcement officer and the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Motor Carrier Enforcement Unit.
You may have noticed that Route 303 carries a large amount of processed steel products, coming from Cleveland and going through town on the way to Liverpool Township. In the past we have had problems with these large coils of steel coming loose and this is a very dangerous situation. Many of these trucks are also loaded past the usual legal weight limit of 80,000 lbs. by an exception granted with a state hauling permit. It is critical that these loads be in strict compliance with the required amount of axles and brakes.
This is why we ask that motorists put up with a small amount of inconvenience when the scales are open and officers are directing traffic by Fire Station One. It is all about ensuring the safety of the other motorists and protecting our roads from weight damage.
Speeding is a leading cause of crashes and is the number one complaint the BPD Traffic Unit receives. According to a US Department of Justice (DOJ) study, drivers make calculated decisions to speed. Police have the means to alter these calculations.
While visible enforcement is valuable, the DOJ also recommends that drivers should not be able to easily detect when and where speed enforcement is occurring. For this reason, regular patrol officers do enforce traffic laws using their highly visible black-and-whites, but the Traffic Unit uses less conspicuous cruisers. We are trying to alter the decision that drivers make when they decide to speed.
For our newest traffic cruiser, we obtained a Dodge Charger since it looks different from all the Fords in our cruiser fleet. It is distinctively marked as a police car and has a flashing light on the roof, so it complies with Ohio law for a traffic enforcement car, but it is different from our black-and-white fleet and should help us in accomplishing our goals.
By the way, the DOJ study specifies the following responses to speeding as having limited effectiveness: reducing speed limits, increasing fines, erecting stop signs, and installing speed bumps
Road engineering has an impact on traffic safety. The Traffic Sergeant recently participated in a Road Safety Audit conducted by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA). NOACA identified the intersection of Pearl Road and Center Road as a target after taking into account the volume of traffic compared to the number of crashes. The report can be viewed here. Many of the recommendations are expected to be incorporated in the Citywide Traffic Signal Upgrade Project, which is expected to be implemented this year.
The Traffic Sergeant reviews all crash reports filed with the Division of Police. If problem areas are identified, enforcement efforts are targeted there and recommendations to the Engineer's Office or Service Director are made, where appropriate. We have posted a year’s worth of crash location maps online (right). There are separate maps by month.
Distracted driving, from using cell phones, especially texting, while driving, is becoming a major concern to traffic safety experts. Please view a video about the dangers here. Warning: this video contains disturbing content and is not for younger children. Drivers are reminded that Brunswick City Ordinance 432.34 states, “No person shall operate a vehicle without giving his full time and attention to the operation of such vehicle.”
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A view of North Carpenter Road and Interstate 71 from OSP plane |
A Brunswick police officer and a Highway Patrol Trooper/Pilot prepare for a TRIAD mission over Interstate 71 in Brunswick. |
Brunswick PD crusers and Highway Patrol cruisers await calls from the plane. |
Interstate 71 is identified by the Scripps Howard study as being the deadliest road in Medina County. It travels through our city and our police and fire divisions respond to crashes on the Brunswick section. For this reason, the Traffic Unit enforces traffic violations on the interstate. We work together with the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSP) in Operation TRIAD (Targeting Reckless, Intimidating and Aggressive Drivers), which uses OSP aircraft to observe violations from the air and radio cruisers on the ground.
Drunk driving has had a devastating effect on our community. The most obvious example occurred just three years ago when a Brunswick family’s minivan was struck by an intoxicated driver and a young girl was killed. A year later the Medina County OVI Task Force was created in an effort to get all county law enforcement agencies to cooperate in attacking this problem, and it has been very successful. On target nights, officers from several departments work in one specific area and saturate the area to target drunk drivers.
We also assist the Highway Patrol in sobriety checkpoints in which all drivers on a particular road are briefly stopped and checked for evidence of intoxication.
We use our cable channels and websites in an effort to educate drivers about the dangers of drunk drivers. Additionally, the BPD has officers that work in the local schools and educate the younger population.
