Could the City of Woodstock improve code enforcement during times when the Code Enforcement Officer is not working by utilitizing the officers of the Woodstock Police Department?
Code violations frequently occur on week-ends, when the hardworking Donovan Day gets a break from his full-time duties of breathing down the necks of Woodstock residents and property owners who either do not know of their code violations or decide to break the laws, anyway.
Donovan's efforts are supplemented by reports from our officers, who inform him of code violations that they observe while on patrol. Then he follows up the next day or the next week.
But what would it be like if officers acted, instead of merely reporting? Let's say that, at a particular residence, every week-end large vehicles are parked in the front yard. I imagine that officers report this to Donovan, and then he swings by to contact the resident, if he can find him at home during the work hours of a weekday. In any event, his information is second-hand.
If the vehicles are gone by the time Donovan goes by, all he has is the officer's email that a code violation occurred. Unless this is accompanied by a willingness for the police department to allow its officer to serve as a Complainant and perhaps even by a photograph, the complaint is probably not going anywhere. And it will probably recur.
What if officers were authorized to contact the code violator, explain the code and issue a Notice of Violation? Half of Donovan's job would be done. If the violation got cleared up right away, it's no longer an issue. And, looking on the bright side, it's an opportunity for officers to interact with residents, educate them and help them avoid a fine. Win/win; right?
In small communities police officers often work in this capacity. Would it work in Woodstock? Why not?
All it would take is the decision by the City Manager, supported by the City Council, to direct the police chief to broaden slightly the duties of the police officers. Training? Very little would be needed - perhaps an hour's worth. Most of the officers are already skilled at reading and understanding laws.
These problems occur city-wide. I happen to notice many of them in Beat 22, the northwest quadrant of the assigned districts, or "beats", in Woodstock. Many occur right on North Seminary at the houses on the west side of the roadway.
While they are watching those properties, perhaps they could nail the drivers on Route 47 who use the two-way, left-turn lane for a backing lane. The other day I watched a northbound driver stop in the center lane. When southbound traffic was clear, he backed across that lane and into his driveway. A week before that, I watched a driver back out of a driveway on the west side of the roadway into the center lane and then drive north on Seminary. Surely, maneuvers like that must be against the law.
And maybe they could even nail the southbound drivers who turn into the Jewel parking lot by using the exit across from Chase Bank. It is very clearly marked against such a turn, but drivers do it all the time. For those drivers, it appears to be a "Hey, so what?" situation. How about making it a $100 situation for them?
© 2008 GUS PHILPOTT
Code violations frequently occur on week-ends, when the hardworking Donovan Day gets a break from his full-time duties of breathing down the necks of Woodstock residents and property owners who either do not know of their code violations or decide to break the laws, anyway.
Donovan's efforts are supplemented by reports from our officers, who inform him of code violations that they observe while on patrol. Then he follows up the next day or the next week.
But what would it be like if officers acted, instead of merely reporting? Let's say that, at a particular residence, every week-end large vehicles are parked in the front yard. I imagine that officers report this to Donovan, and then he swings by to contact the resident, if he can find him at home during the work hours of a weekday. In any event, his information is second-hand.
If the vehicles are gone by the time Donovan goes by, all he has is the officer's email that a code violation occurred. Unless this is accompanied by a willingness for the police department to allow its officer to serve as a Complainant and perhaps even by a photograph, the complaint is probably not going anywhere. And it will probably recur.
What if officers were authorized to contact the code violator, explain the code and issue a Notice of Violation? Half of Donovan's job would be done. If the violation got cleared up right away, it's no longer an issue. And, looking on the bright side, it's an opportunity for officers to interact with residents, educate them and help them avoid a fine. Win/win; right?
In small communities police officers often work in this capacity. Would it work in Woodstock? Why not?
All it would take is the decision by the City Manager, supported by the City Council, to direct the police chief to broaden slightly the duties of the police officers. Training? Very little would be needed - perhaps an hour's worth. Most of the officers are already skilled at reading and understanding laws.
These problems occur city-wide. I happen to notice many of them in Beat 22, the northwest quadrant of the assigned districts, or "beats", in Woodstock. Many occur right on North Seminary at the houses on the west side of the roadway.
While they are watching those properties, perhaps they could nail the drivers on Route 47 who use the two-way, left-turn lane for a backing lane. The other day I watched a northbound driver stop in the center lane. When southbound traffic was clear, he backed across that lane and into his driveway. A week before that, I watched a driver back out of a driveway on the west side of the roadway into the center lane and then drive north on Seminary. Surely, maneuvers like that must be against the law.
And maybe they could even nail the southbound drivers who turn into the Jewel parking lot by using the exit across from Chase Bank. It is very clearly marked against such a turn, but drivers do it all the time. For those drivers, it appears to be a "Hey, so what?" situation. How about making it a $100 situation for them?
© 2008 GUS PHILPOTT
2 comments:
Gus,
Has it ever occurred to you that the police might have enough to do in fulfilling the requirements of their own job without adding the duties of someone else's job? Just a thought... Perhaps a better suggestion would be to encourage the city to hire additional code enforcement officers?
For God's sake, don't encourage him!
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