Seatbelt compliance...

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
May 24, 2012

The Woodstock Police Department ran a seatbelt compliance roadblock on Wednesday on Route 47, just north of Lake Ave. Can you imagine a more congested section of roadway for this? An officer was setting up traffic cones about 10:15AM.

Previous checks have been made on southbound traffic, because drivers can be directed off the roadway into the unimproved, vacant lot on the northwest corner of the intersection.

What's the objective? To help the State of Illinois push compliance from 92.9% to 93.0%.

Now, you tell me. Does this make sense? Woodstock PD sucks up some State grant(s), possibly backed by federal dollars, to try to gain a 0.1% notch in compliance. The officers may earn overtime for this duty. Let's say a cop earns $80,000/year. That's $40.00/hour.

Put him out on this duty, and he earns $60.00/hour. Does seniority prevail, so that the longest-tenure, oldest, highest-paid cops get the gravy?

The Woodstock P.D. has an electronic sign sitting in its parking lot. Why not place it on the roadway shoulder with a message like "Buckle up or $75 Fine!" Instead, it sits in the parking lot, displaying some useless message to passing drivers, who probably don't pay any attention to it.