Open Letter to Woodstock City Council - Traffic

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
March 26, 2009

Following is an open letter that I have emailed this morning to the Woodstock mayor and members of the City Council:

Mr. Mayor and Members of the City Council,

Please read the Car and Driver article published on msn.com at http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=948333&topart=luxury This describes the exact issue that I raised at the recent City Council meeting.

What knowledge do you have of the decision of Chief Lowen to drastically increase the number of traffic tickets being issued by his officers through "traffic initiatives"? "Other traffic arrests" were up 51% from January 2009 to February 2009.

Was Chief Lowen ordered by the City Manager to pursue this risky plan? Did the Council order the City Manager to increase revenues by traffic ticket enforcement?

Are you getting (or should you be getting) reports, perhaps weekly, on the number of traffic tickets being issued for all traffic violations, not just the broad category of "Other traffic arrests"?

Have we developed a "speed trap" mentality here, but more broadly applied to all traffic violations, not just speeding?

Have officers been ordered to ticket only and ordered not to exercise discretion to issue warnings where warranted?

If a police officer commits a traffic violation, will another officer cite him?

How much revenue is being forecast?

Will traffic tickets be heard in the new Administrative Adjudication Court being established in Woodstock?

I shall approach you in person at a City Council meeting with these questions and trust that answers will be provided.

Respectfully,

Gus Philpott