Where is the State Patrol & Sheriff?
Contributed by: Anonymous
I waited to bring this up until the families had a chance to bury the men that were killed on Hwy 41 last week. My heart and prayers are with them.
What I want to know is where the State Patrol and the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department have been. They have certainly not been on Hwy 41. Hwy 41 has been, and continues to be, a speeding and tailgating haven and I suspect there will be more deaths before anything substantial is done about it unless pressure is brought on these agencies. Let's fix the problem!
I do not want to see a TEMPORARY presence of officers for press purposes, only to have this presence diminish as we get further from the date of this tragedy.
I have also seen other counties have large trucks with some type of big impact absorber mounted on the back of the truck behind the workers to provide additional protection for these road workers. It does not sound as though there was one of these in use on 41 the day of the accident. If not, why not?
I visited the State of Wisconsin Statute web site and found Statute 346.14(2)(b) that reads, trucks following "the preceding vehicle more closely than 500 feet for one mile or more or follows more closely than 500 feet when the preceding vehicle is moving at the maximum speed then and there permissible for such following vehicle is prima facie evidence that the operator of such following vehicle is violating this subsection." I cannot remember the last time I saw a semi pulled over by police on 41 and I see semis tailgating all the time!
Maybe more police squads on 41 would help.
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Where is the State Patrol & Sheriff?
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 16 2006 @ 07:15 PM MST
You have got to be kidding me! A semi driver makes a mistake and you're going to blame the police? The police in this area are SO busy that they don't have time for much else! If they get a chance to make a traffic stop, that is the exception, not the rule.
You make it sound like they purposely are not doing their jobs and the result of this accident is their fault. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Oh, I forgot the standard response in this forum: They should be happy to have their jobs, we should take their money and benefits away, and they should do more work. Sorry I blew up.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 16 2006 @ 08:46 PM MST
Easy! How you could twist that to say the poster does not think they are doing their jobs, or this tregedy is their fault is beyond me; but if you read the post there is no mention of them not WORKING or CAUSING the accident. The poster is simply stating we may need more police on 41 because they do not see enough enforcement on the highway. Read what is printed here and do not jump to conclusions and your heart rate will be lower.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: got it on Friday, March 17 2006 @ 06:55 AM MST
Just read the original post. It's a complaint against the law enforcement community for a perceived lack of enforcement on the highway. How typical: someone to demand MORE out of the services their tax monies provide. Are they willing to pay for it?
Are YOU willing to pay extra for more patrols on the highway? That's what it boils down to! The police in our communites are stretched too thin as it is.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, March 17 2006 @ 09:01 AM MST
Either enforce the laws or do away with them. Between the sheriffs department and state patrol there could be a greater presence out there. they are usually chekcing speeds by why not watch for tailgaters and people driving in the left hand lane impeding traffic and setting up situations for accidents? It's not so much asking them to do more as it is asking them to change thrie focus once in a while and set different priorities for different situations. If we can save lives why would we not do that? Isn't their job to protect and serve?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Jim B. on Friday, March 17 2006 @ 10:39 AM MST
I'm sorry, I don't buy that our law enforcement are stretched too thin. We live in a really safe part of the country, with very little crime to speak of. Why are they stretched? This is not cynical, I am curious!
As far as 41, the original poster is absolutely right on about the tailgating and speeds. I have lived in two different very large cities in this country, and I have never been as nervous in those cities as I am in the Fox Valley travelling up and down 41(which I do everyday). The tailgating is the worst problem as far as I am concerned. There is no reason for a car to come up behind you and get so close that you can see the person has a moustache, etc. Especially if you notice that there is a caravan of cars in front of the person you are tailgating. This is not Nascar!!!
Perhaps beyond more patrolling we need better education from the beginning in drivers ed. This is not a huge problem in other parts of the country! It is a huge problem on 41. And come to think of it, it has been a long time since I have even seen a patrol car on 41 during both rush hours. Start pulling people over for this offense, and I am sure it will help!
Jim B.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, March 17 2006 @ 08:12 PM MST
If you look at when 41 is the worst, it's during 'rush hour,' both in the morning and the evening. When are law enforcement agencies busiest? At those times. If you ever listen to a scanner, you'll hear that the State Patrol is helping the Sheriffs Dept ALL THE TIME to help alleviate the shortcomings of the staffing issues.
What are they doing? You wouldn't believe what people call the police for. Some of it legit, some of it not. But if you call and request the police, they will come. Ever heard the stat that police deal with 10% of the people 80% of the time?
As far as 'seeing' the police running radar but not doing anything about it, remember that they have TONS of reports to do. It's estimated that for every minute an officer works on a call, they require 2-3 minutes of reporting to do. So what are they doing when they're "running radar?" Probably just being a presence to deter traffic issues. The squad car is there to get people's attention. The officers are sitting inside doing the piles of paperwork they are required to do.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, March 18 2006 @ 07:32 AM MST
More police and more drivers education? These things will become part of our past if TABOR is accepted in this State.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, March 19 2006 @ 08:56 PM MST
How about making driving while talking on a cell phone illegal? It's been proven that driving while on a cell phone is equivalent to driving drunk. There's a habit we need to stop.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 07:35 AM MST
It is NOT the same thing as driving drunk because you are not impaired like if you were drunk. But if you want to outlaw talking on cell phones then prohibit people from talking to passengers in their cars, make it illegal for vehicles to have radios or CD players, don't allow people to do anything in their cars like eat or look at a map. Make the cars so they shut down unless both hands on on the steering column.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 04:26 PM MST
I agree talking on a cell phone is not anywhere near the same as driving drunk. Where in the world can we find this "proof" you say exists?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 07:05 PM MST
I found these examples:
"Overall, the researchers found that both speaking and listening on the phone reduced the drivers' competence on the road, resulting in slower driving, more trouble staying in the proper lane and/or not keeping a safe distance from the unwieldy car ahead, Kubose said.
Frank Drews, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at the University of Utah, noted that earlier research has shown that talking on cell phones while driving quadruples the risk of an accident. This new study is important because it furthers the understanding of why cell phone use is so risky. "
..and...
"The principal findings for this experiment are that: (a) SPs that engaged in cell phone conversations missed twice as many simulated traffic signals as when they were not talking on the cell phone, (b) SPs took longer to react to those signals that they did detect, and (c) these deficits were equivalent for both hand-held and hands-free cell phone users.
In sum, we found that conversing on either a hand-held or hands-free cell phone led to significant decrements in simulated driving performance. We suggest that the cellular phone use disrupts performance by diverting attention to an engaging cognitive context other than the one immediately associated with driving."
There you go. Talking on a cell phone makes all the difference in the world.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 07:16 PM MST
We all know test results and research numbers can be skewed to achieve almost any result you want. But as someone else said anything can distract drivers, including radios, talking to others in the car, etc. Your references do not show that cell phone use is comparable to driving drunk and that is the main argument you were trying to make weren't you?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 08:06 PM MST
No, the main argument I was trying to make is that driving while talking on a cell phone is dangerous. Anyone who claims it isn't is kidding themselves.
Just like drinking, each person is affected by the 'vice' differently, so to flat out equate it to drunk driving is probably not accurate. I maintain, however, that talking while on a cell phone in dangerous. Way moreso than just listening to a radio.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 08:16 PM MST
Why in the world will you not get back on topic?!
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 08:37 PM MST
This post has been dead for a week. It's going a different direction. Who cares?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 23 2006 @ 07:15 PM MST
I remember a few years ago, Shirley Mattox gave some statistics about the Oshkosh Police Departments ticket/warning ratio. It was something along the lines that only 40% of those pulled over for traffic violations got tickets. Now I'd probably be happy if I was the one getting off with a warning, but doesn't SO many warnings lessen the deterrence to obey the traffic laws.
I was pulled over in Green Bay a few years ago for speeding and because I hadn't had a moving violation for over ten years , I recieved a warning. I was told that if I was pulled over for speeding again in 90 days that the warning would become a ticket. I wonder if Oshkosh/Winnebago does this?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, March 21 2006 @ 04:31 PM MST
dear anonymous you do have it all wrong... you think the police are so busy that they cant do the job of giving traffic tickets to citizens and to drivers who deserve them? if that is the case then someone needs to tell them to find the time, maybe they could find it by NOT pulling into the parking lots on witzel and ohio streets to talk to eachother for over half an hour night after night... people say they are doing there paper work... i say bull crap you cant do paper work with your head leaning out the window talking to to the other driver. we pay these people by the hour... so lets try and get a full shift out of them. they are on breaks long enough... heck they would even get breaks while sitting on the side of the road waiting for speaders. you go to any smaller town and the officers they have do WORK and they do there "paper work" on the side of the street while watching for speeders... cuz REALLY what purpose are the officers serving us sitting in a secluded parking lot way in the back so far back that u know they are not using radar...night after night doing NOTHING but hanging there heads out the window talking to eachother. these are officers who should be on the street. and it's not just the parking lot of witzel&ohio but other places as well where the officers congregate. AND IT IS NOT THERE BREAK TIME. another thing too... we are being ripped off by our own police force.... do they really need to be instant messaging eachother from the computers in there car i mean we pay for them to have the radios and the dispatch computers but we also have to pay for them to instant message eachother and its not about work either. the public should really be able to read some of these conversations they have... now you tell me between them hanging there heads out the window talking and sending instand messages accross the the squad computers how can they not have the time to sit along the roads a little more often.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, March 22 2006 @ 07:14 AM MST
You need to get a clue. You have no idea what it's like to be a police officer and by reading your rambling post, you don't have the intelligence to be one, either. Instead of being overly critical of the way these people risk their lives EVERY DAY to protect us, you should be thankful that we have such dedicated people willing to serve us.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 23 2006 @ 08:18 AM MST
who said the truck driver made a mistake. from what i read it is more likely the woman in the car pulled in front of the truck and caused the accident. from what i read the trucker may have been unable to do anything different.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 23 2006 @ 10:01 AM MST
If the truck could not stop it obviously was not following at a safe distance.
I waited to bring this up until the families had a chance to bury the men that were killed on Hwy 41 last week. My heart and prayers are with them.
What I want to know is where the State Patrol and the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department have been. They have certainly not been on Hwy 41. Hwy 41 has been, and continues to be, a speeding and tailgating haven and I suspect there will be more deaths before anything substantial is done about it unless pressure is brought on these agencies. Let's fix the problem!
I do not want to see a TEMPORARY presence of officers for press purposes, only to have this presence diminish as we get further from the date of this tragedy.
I have also seen other counties have large trucks with some type of big impact absorber mounted on the back of the truck behind the workers to provide additional protection for these road workers. It does not sound as though there was one of these in use on 41 the day of the accident. If not, why not?
I visited the State of Wisconsin Statute web site and found Statute 346.14(2)(b) that reads, trucks following "the preceding vehicle more closely than 500 feet for one mile or more or follows more closely than 500 feet when the preceding vehicle is moving at the maximum speed then and there permissible for such following vehicle is prima facie evidence that the operator of such following vehicle is violating this subsection." I cannot remember the last time I saw a semi pulled over by police on 41 and I see semis tailgating all the time!
Maybe more police squads on 41 would help.
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Where is the State Patrol & Sheriff?
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 16 2006 @ 07:15 PM MST
You have got to be kidding me! A semi driver makes a mistake and you're going to blame the police? The police in this area are SO busy that they don't have time for much else! If they get a chance to make a traffic stop, that is the exception, not the rule.
You make it sound like they purposely are not doing their jobs and the result of this accident is their fault. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Oh, I forgot the standard response in this forum: They should be happy to have their jobs, we should take their money and benefits away, and they should do more work. Sorry I blew up.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 16 2006 @ 08:46 PM MST
Easy! How you could twist that to say the poster does not think they are doing their jobs, or this tregedy is their fault is beyond me; but if you read the post there is no mention of them not WORKING or CAUSING the accident. The poster is simply stating we may need more police on 41 because they do not see enough enforcement on the highway. Read what is printed here and do not jump to conclusions and your heart rate will be lower.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: got it on Friday, March 17 2006 @ 06:55 AM MST
Just read the original post. It's a complaint against the law enforcement community for a perceived lack of enforcement on the highway. How typical: someone to demand MORE out of the services their tax monies provide. Are they willing to pay for it?
Are YOU willing to pay extra for more patrols on the highway? That's what it boils down to! The police in our communites are stretched too thin as it is.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, March 17 2006 @ 09:01 AM MST
Either enforce the laws or do away with them. Between the sheriffs department and state patrol there could be a greater presence out there. they are usually chekcing speeds by why not watch for tailgaters and people driving in the left hand lane impeding traffic and setting up situations for accidents? It's not so much asking them to do more as it is asking them to change thrie focus once in a while and set different priorities for different situations. If we can save lives why would we not do that? Isn't their job to protect and serve?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Jim B. on Friday, March 17 2006 @ 10:39 AM MST
I'm sorry, I don't buy that our law enforcement are stretched too thin. We live in a really safe part of the country, with very little crime to speak of. Why are they stretched? This is not cynical, I am curious!
As far as 41, the original poster is absolutely right on about the tailgating and speeds. I have lived in two different very large cities in this country, and I have never been as nervous in those cities as I am in the Fox Valley travelling up and down 41(which I do everyday). The tailgating is the worst problem as far as I am concerned. There is no reason for a car to come up behind you and get so close that you can see the person has a moustache, etc. Especially if you notice that there is a caravan of cars in front of the person you are tailgating. This is not Nascar!!!
Perhaps beyond more patrolling we need better education from the beginning in drivers ed. This is not a huge problem in other parts of the country! It is a huge problem on 41. And come to think of it, it has been a long time since I have even seen a patrol car on 41 during both rush hours. Start pulling people over for this offense, and I am sure it will help!
Jim B.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, March 17 2006 @ 08:12 PM MST
If you look at when 41 is the worst, it's during 'rush hour,' both in the morning and the evening. When are law enforcement agencies busiest? At those times. If you ever listen to a scanner, you'll hear that the State Patrol is helping the Sheriffs Dept ALL THE TIME to help alleviate the shortcomings of the staffing issues.
What are they doing? You wouldn't believe what people call the police for. Some of it legit, some of it not. But if you call and request the police, they will come. Ever heard the stat that police deal with 10% of the people 80% of the time?
As far as 'seeing' the police running radar but not doing anything about it, remember that they have TONS of reports to do. It's estimated that for every minute an officer works on a call, they require 2-3 minutes of reporting to do. So what are they doing when they're "running radar?" Probably just being a presence to deter traffic issues. The squad car is there to get people's attention. The officers are sitting inside doing the piles of paperwork they are required to do.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, March 18 2006 @ 07:32 AM MST
More police and more drivers education? These things will become part of our past if TABOR is accepted in this State.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, March 19 2006 @ 08:56 PM MST
How about making driving while talking on a cell phone illegal? It's been proven that driving while on a cell phone is equivalent to driving drunk. There's a habit we need to stop.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 07:35 AM MST
It is NOT the same thing as driving drunk because you are not impaired like if you were drunk. But if you want to outlaw talking on cell phones then prohibit people from talking to passengers in their cars, make it illegal for vehicles to have radios or CD players, don't allow people to do anything in their cars like eat or look at a map. Make the cars so they shut down unless both hands on on the steering column.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 04:26 PM MST
I agree talking on a cell phone is not anywhere near the same as driving drunk. Where in the world can we find this "proof" you say exists?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 07:05 PM MST
I found these examples:
"Overall, the researchers found that both speaking and listening on the phone reduced the drivers' competence on the road, resulting in slower driving, more trouble staying in the proper lane and/or not keeping a safe distance from the unwieldy car ahead, Kubose said.
Frank Drews, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at the University of Utah, noted that earlier research has shown that talking on cell phones while driving quadruples the risk of an accident. This new study is important because it furthers the understanding of why cell phone use is so risky. "
..and...
"The principal findings for this experiment are that: (a) SPs that engaged in cell phone conversations missed twice as many simulated traffic signals as when they were not talking on the cell phone, (b) SPs took longer to react to those signals that they did detect, and (c) these deficits were equivalent for both hand-held and hands-free cell phone users.
In sum, we found that conversing on either a hand-held or hands-free cell phone led to significant decrements in simulated driving performance. We suggest that the cellular phone use disrupts performance by diverting attention to an engaging cognitive context other than the one immediately associated with driving."
There you go. Talking on a cell phone makes all the difference in the world.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 07:16 PM MST
We all know test results and research numbers can be skewed to achieve almost any result you want. But as someone else said anything can distract drivers, including radios, talking to others in the car, etc. Your references do not show that cell phone use is comparable to driving drunk and that is the main argument you were trying to make weren't you?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 08:06 PM MST
No, the main argument I was trying to make is that driving while talking on a cell phone is dangerous. Anyone who claims it isn't is kidding themselves.
Just like drinking, each person is affected by the 'vice' differently, so to flat out equate it to drunk driving is probably not accurate. I maintain, however, that talking while on a cell phone in dangerous. Way moreso than just listening to a radio.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 08:16 PM MST
Why in the world will you not get back on topic?!
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, March 20 2006 @ 08:37 PM MST
This post has been dead for a week. It's going a different direction. Who cares?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 23 2006 @ 07:15 PM MST
I remember a few years ago, Shirley Mattox gave some statistics about the Oshkosh Police Departments ticket/warning ratio. It was something along the lines that only 40% of those pulled over for traffic violations got tickets. Now I'd probably be happy if I was the one getting off with a warning, but doesn't SO many warnings lessen the deterrence to obey the traffic laws.
I was pulled over in Green Bay a few years ago for speeding and because I hadn't had a moving violation for over ten years , I recieved a warning. I was told that if I was pulled over for speeding again in 90 days that the warning would become a ticket. I wonder if Oshkosh/Winnebago does this?
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, March 21 2006 @ 04:31 PM MST
dear anonymous you do have it all wrong... you think the police are so busy that they cant do the job of giving traffic tickets to citizens and to drivers who deserve them? if that is the case then someone needs to tell them to find the time, maybe they could find it by NOT pulling into the parking lots on witzel and ohio streets to talk to eachother for over half an hour night after night... people say they are doing there paper work... i say bull crap you cant do paper work with your head leaning out the window talking to to the other driver. we pay these people by the hour... so lets try and get a full shift out of them. they are on breaks long enough... heck they would even get breaks while sitting on the side of the road waiting for speaders. you go to any smaller town and the officers they have do WORK and they do there "paper work" on the side of the street while watching for speeders... cuz REALLY what purpose are the officers serving us sitting in a secluded parking lot way in the back so far back that u know they are not using radar...night after night doing NOTHING but hanging there heads out the window talking to eachother. these are officers who should be on the street. and it's not just the parking lot of witzel&ohio but other places as well where the officers congregate. AND IT IS NOT THERE BREAK TIME. another thing too... we are being ripped off by our own police force.... do they really need to be instant messaging eachother from the computers in there car i mean we pay for them to have the radios and the dispatch computers but we also have to pay for them to instant message eachother and its not about work either. the public should really be able to read some of these conversations they have... now you tell me between them hanging there heads out the window talking and sending instand messages accross the the squad computers how can they not have the time to sit along the roads a little more often.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, March 22 2006 @ 07:14 AM MST
You need to get a clue. You have no idea what it's like to be a police officer and by reading your rambling post, you don't have the intelligence to be one, either. Instead of being overly critical of the way these people risk their lives EVERY DAY to protect us, you should be thankful that we have such dedicated people willing to serve us.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 23 2006 @ 08:18 AM MST
who said the truck driver made a mistake. from what i read it is more likely the woman in the car pulled in front of the truck and caused the accident. from what i read the trucker may have been unable to do anything different.
Where is the State Patrol
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, March 23 2006 @ 10:01 AM MST
If the truck could not stop it obviously was not following at a safe distance.
posted by Cheryl Hentz at 3:40 PM
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