Crystal Lake seatbelt enforcement - 36 hours, 37 tickets

I would like to acknowledge the Crystal Lake (Ill.) Police Department for its tranparency on its Memorial Day Click-It-or-Ticket campaign. While I personally do not like the "primary enforcement" authority for ticketing seatbelt-only violations, I compliment the Crystal Lake P.D. for stepping up and releasing the infomation.

Here's today's press release from the Crystal Lake P.D.

The Crystal Lake Police Department conducted a Safety Belt Enforcement Campaign from May 20th through May 30^th, 2011. This event was part of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program conducted for the Memorial Day holiday.

During the thirty six (36) hours of additional patrol time, both day and night, the Crystal Lake Police Department issued a total of thirty seven (37) traffic citations. Twenty (20) of the citations issued were for failure to wear safety belt violations. Sixteen (16) citations issued were for operation of uninsured motor vehicles, speeding, disregarding traffic control devices, improper turns and motor vehicle equipment violations. One (1) citation issued was for a graduated driver’s license violation.  

The enforcement campaign was funded in part by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation and is administered by IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety. 

I'm not sure how many grant dollars they scarfed up to write one ticket an hour. Plenty, I'm sure.

Speed limit signs -- too low?

What does it mean, effectively, if the speed limit is posted lower than the speed as determined by the governing body? Let's say you get stopped for driving 10MPH over the limit, and the cop either writes you a ticket or finds something else wrong (no insurance; drugs; whatever...) and tickets you for that.

But what if the speed limit is not really that which is posted on the roadway, but instead the speed limit is actually (legally) 5MPH or even 10MPH higher. If the true speed limit happens to be 10MPH higher than that which is posted, then you weren't even speeding; you were traveling exactly at the speed limit, and you never should have been stopped in the first place.

Does this ever happen? Could it happen? Could it happen right here in Woodstock?

Section 5.3.1 of the Woodstock City Code establishes the speed limit on certain roadways in Woodstock. There is an Illinois statute that establishes the speed limit, and then a City can, after conducting a speed study and some other maneuvers, establish a different speed limit, either higher or lower than the statute.

So, on North Seminary (Route 47), what is the speed limit between McHenry Avenue (Route 120) and the north city limit? The City Code is silent about the stretch of roadway between McHenry Avenue and East Todd Avenue, so the posted 30MPH speed limit is probably correct as the statutory urban residential speed limit.

However, according to the City Code, the City Council has established a 40MPH speed limit on Seminary between Todd Avenue and Birch Road. And then a 45MPH speed limit between Birch Road and the north City Limit of Woodstock.

Notice the signs next time you are driving on Seminary. You'll see a 30MPH sign northbound right at Todd Avenue and then a 35MPH signs at Greenwood Cir. (upper photo). The speed limit there is (legally) 40MPH.

And then it's posted 35MPH all the way to Ware Road, except the speed limit changes (legally) to 45MPH at Birch Road. Would you dare drive 40MPH to Birch Road and then 45MPH from Birch Road to Ware Road, if you had a Woodstock Police squad car or motorcycle right behind you? (Lower photo is at Russel Court, in front of the Government Center).

I know of an out-of-state driver who got ticketed for 48MPH in a 30MPH zone between Todd and Donovan. Yes, there is a 30MPH sign, but the legal speed limit (per the City Council) is 40MPH. So now I'm thinking he didn't "earn" the $200 fine and court costs he paid. He was only 8MPH over the limit, not 18MPH over.

Should Woodstock P.D. review all the tickets that have been written on Seminary and go to court to have them all unwound and the money refunded to the drivers?

What else needs to happen? Either the City needs to conduct new speed studies and reduce the legal speed limits or the City (or Public Works) needs to contact IDOT to change the speed limit signs. Does anyone think 45MPH from Birch Road past the churches and schools to Ware Road is too fast. Aye, Aye and Aye.

National Donut Day - Friday

Just what you have been waiting all year for - right? National Donut Day! It's tomorrow, Friday, June 3!

Stop by Dunkin' Donuts. Get a free donut with any beverage purchase. See you there. Tell 'em "Gus sent me."

Beth Bentley case on internet radio tonight

The missing-person case of Beth Bentley, 41 at the time she vanished in May 2010, will be discussed tonight during an online radio broadcast hosted by Jon Leiberman, a former correspondent for the America's Most Wanted program.

His radio program, "True Facts with Jon Leiberman" will air the program today, Thursday, June 2nd. I was previously told that the time is 6:00PM CDT, but check the correct time for yourself.

One promotion of the program (www.wjbdradio.com/)  included "Bentley was supposed to board a train in Centralia after visiting friends in Mt. Vernon, but vanished."

Why that myth persists, even a year later, is beyond me. That story has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.

Leiberman is supposed to interview one of Bentley's sons and her brother. You can catch the program at 6 p.m. (CDT?) today at www.cyberstationlive.com/JonLeiberman, or you can find an archived copy of the show after the date at www.dqrm.com/showlist/leiberman.htm

Trains, trains and (more) trains

One of the best-kept secrets in Woodstock is a model train store on Route 176, just east of Route 47. You have probably seen St. Aubin Nursery on the north side of the road as you've flown back and forth along there, but did you know about St. Aubin Trains?

I met the sales manager, Matt Drennan, recently at the model train display in Huntley at Sun City. The railroad club there (membership limited to Sun City residents; doggone it!) has a large indoor display and an even larger outdoor display of operating trains. (Click on the image to enlarge it; then click on the Back button on your browser to come back here.)

Do you know what "garden railroading" is? It's an train lay-out in your yard. Just imagine all the fun your grandkids will have with it, if you let them play with it. Stop by St. Aubin Trains at 11100 Route 176, Woodstock. Got questions? Call Matt at 815.334.9100 and visit www.staubintrains.com/

Here's an idea for your summer vacation. Instead of burning through gallons of $4.00 gasoline, why not set off on a family adventure to create a living example of family entertainment? Gather up the kids and grandkids and build a train lay-out. Do it outdoors or indoors, or both.

Why did Kimberly Smith initially get tagged re the 1999 case

When Undersheriff Zinke told a Northwest Herald that Kimberly Smith had been involved in a December 1999 Holiday Hills P.D. sex-on-the-hood-of-a-squad-car case, he was close. Maybe that's why the McHenry County Sheriff's Department included "Holian" in its identification of her. "Kimberly A. (Holian) Smith."

Zinke was close, but not close enough on the facts.

It wasn't a "Smith" who was involved with the police office at that time.
Seems it was a Holian who was involved.
But it wasn't Kimberly Holian.

Obstructing justice - didn't anyone else wonder?

First reports on Sunday about the Kurt Milliman shooting included such softball statements by the sheriff's department as the first deputy on the scene "secured the couple" (the Smiths) and a list of the charges that included "obstructing justice" charges against both Timothy S. and Kimberly A. (Holian) Smith and a disorderly conduct charge against Kimberly Smith.

Then it turns out that they had apparently fed a concocted story to investigators or deputies about a home invasion, including an attempt to lead them to believe that Timothy hadn't been at home at first.

To me, it seems that this subterfuge must have been known to the deputies and resulted in the obstruction charges quickly filed against the Smith.

So what is the reason the sheriff's department withheld that information from the public at first, if it did?

And the "prostitution for $40" story? Give me a break. Anybody that believes that one should go back and start Reading 101 over with "Jack and Jill went up the hill".

Where is the face of Sheriff Nygren in all this? Here we have the first murder in McHenry County in 2011, and Sheriff Nygren is nowhere to be seen. If he is out-of-town, wasn't he notified early Sunday morning? Did someone call and wake him up before dawn?

And wouldn't almost any County Sheriff return to his office and take charge? Was he out of cell phone range?

If the McHenry County Sheriff's Department held a press conference and Sheriff Nygren stood at a microphone and accepted questions, would he answer them if they came in the form of hardball questions? Who might ask those hard questions?

Bob McCoppin, reporter for http://www.chicagotribune.com/
Cal Skinner, who writes http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/
Pete Gonigam, publisher of http://www.firstelectricnewspaper.com/
Michael Bivona, publisher of http://www.patch.com/ for Crystal Lake
Gus Philpott, author of this blog

Northwest Herald articles omit all MCSD names except that of Undersheriff Zinke, although there are frequent mentions of "investigators said", "police said", etc.

Who was the first deputy on the scene?

Just how well known (and in what ways) are Timothy and Kimberly Smith known among the law enforcement community in McHenry County?