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The New Police Vehicles:
The Chief's Comments regarding the news story about these new cars.
This story was in the Daily Statesman Online edition.
The following comment was posted:
The Chief will drive the gas guzzling SUV during the day to save miles on the more fuel efficient car? The car may last a little longer, but the extra gas at $3 per gallon will eat up any savings on repairs.
With the Sheriff dept. based in Bloomfield, why do they need 2 cars anyway? Are 2 cops on duty here at the same time, if that is true it would be more of a waste of money than the 2 cars.
A bicycle patrol in Bloomfield……I don't even know where to begin with this one.
I know the Chief has a big city approach toward law enforcement and that is not playing too well already. But I really doubt people will tolerate a big city budget.
In response I would like to point out that the Ford Explorer is equipped with a much smaller engine then that of the Crown Victoria and is actually much more efficient than the Crown Victoria. The vehicle is driven between 10 and 20 miles during the day and the police car is driven on average about 40 miles during the evening and night hours.
The main purpose of having a 4X4 is becuase Bloomfield is set on a series of hills. It is practically impossible to respond to calls in emergency weather.
As it stated in the article, the reason for the Bike patrol is to speed up response time back to the vehicle in case of an emergency call. Officers were getting too far away from the vehicle while on foot patrol. Will the bikes be used all over town? NO, they will be used as needed.
Big city approach toward law enforcement? I don't think so. I have always had an open door policy with anyone that has a problem and I will always continue to do so. I have changed things in the department. I began the Explorer Program. We have about 17 kids who are actively involved in community service projects such as helping pick litter off the streets. They are working on a charity project at this time. Every day we have one or two young people come up to one of us and ask us how we are doing and ask questions about the department. Some of them are not even Explorers. I venture to say that not many departments in our region can say that. I will even go further to say that this probably does not happen very much at all in "big citties." If you are saying that I have a big city approach to law enforcement because of the citations that are written by my officers, you are once again mistaken. Go to other small towns and see what their ratio is between verbal warnings and citations. I have worked for several agencies across the state in my career and I am proud to say that the Bloomfield Police Department does not put a high priority on traffic enforcement through citations. We do put a high priority on patrol and the prevention of burglaries. We also put a high priority on arresting those who are drug offenders. Drugs, by the way, are not just a "Big city" problem. For seven years my wife and I have raised our children in Bloomfield. I started out as a patrolman back then. I loved Bloomfield then and I love it now. Nothing will change that.
Big city budget? Go to any other town our size and compare the budgets. I think we do pretty well with what we have. Most towns our size have a minimum of 4 full time police officers and we have 3. Most towns our size do have a minimum of 2 police vehicles. Some have more. In 1997 I worked at a small department in central Missouri that had a population of 968, was about 3/4 the land size of Bloomfield. We had two patrol vehicles and 4 full time officers. I have no intention of running this department like a "Big City" department. If I did this I doubt that I would have lasted the year and a half that I have as Chief (I am the 8th Chief in seven years).
The Bloomfield Police Department WEATHER WATCHER:
The Bloomfield Police Department uses "Weather Watcher" to monitor our local weather. This program is add ans spyware free and can be downloaded free by...
*NEWS*
THIS IS HOW IMPORTANT DWI'S ARE TO US:
A WORD ABOUT SEAT BELTS AND CAR SEATS:
FROM CHIEF JASON CURTMAN
Just a few minute ago I received a phone call from a concerned grand-mother in town. She was asking me about
Driving or riding in an automobile can be dangerous. Nationally,
Motor vehicle crashes kill tens of thousands of drivers and passengers and injure nearly two million each year. The chance of being in an auto crash in your lifetime is virtually 100 percent. On average, you’ll be in a traffic crash every 10 years, and you have a one in 50 chance of being killed. No matter how safely you drive, you can’t control other drivers. Seat belts are your best protection against drivers who are careless or who have been drinking. It takes about three seconds to fasten your seat belt when you get into a car or truck to travel. Using lap/shoulder belts cuts your chances of being killed or seriously injured in a crash 40-50 percent.
Did you know that an unbelted occupant of a 30- mph car crash hits the windshield or other interior surfaces with the same impact as a fall from a three-story building? Did you know that people without seat belts have been killed at speeds as low as 12 mph? Here is a fact of interest… The effectiveness of an air bag system drops 40 percent when a seat belt is not used. Nationally, traffic crashes kill about five people every hour and, in
How to use Seat Belts Properly:
A seat belt can only protect you if it’s used and used properly. Each person needs his/her own seat belt. Make sure all seat belts are working properly. Adjust your seat belt so it fits snugly over your hip bones. It should cross your lap low on the hips, not high across your stomach. Wear your seat belt as low on the hips as possible, so the impact force will be spread over the stronger hip bones. Seat belts should be worn snugly and with no slack. When you are pregnant, wear your seat belt underneath the abdomen. The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother.
Everyone riding in the front seat in automobiles and trucks with a licensed gross weight of less than 12,000 lbs. must wear seat belts.
Persons less than 18 years of age operating or riding in trucks (regardless of gross weight for which licensed) must wear seatbelts.
No person under age 18 is allowed to ride in the unenclosed bed of a truck with a licensed gross weight of less than 12,000 lbs. on lettered highways, federal and state maintained highways, and within city limits. There are exemptions for agricultural purposes, special events, and parades.
The law requires children under age four, regardless of their weight, riding in any type vehicle be secured in an approved child safety seat. To make sure the child safety seat meets Federal Safety Standard No. 213, check to see that it was manufactured after January 1981 and says dynamically tested on the label.
It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure passengers under the age of 16 are safely buckled up. Those 16 and over are responsible for themselves.
Remember, it’s not just the law. It’s common sense!
ON 8/23/2006 CHIEF CURTMAN WAS CONTACTED BY A LOCAL RESIDENT WHO STATED THAT SHE HAD RECEIVED A CALL FROM A PERSON CLAIMING TO BE A BLOOMFIELD POLICE OFFICER. THE SUBJECT STATED THAT HER CHECKING ACCOUNT HAD BEEN "COMPROMISED" AND THAT HE WAS CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION. HE THEN STATED HE NEED HER TO READ TO HIM ALL OF THE NUMBERS LOCATED ON THE BOTTOM OF ONE OF HER CHECKS.
THIS IS A SCAM - IF YOU RECEIVE A CALL OF THIS NATURE, PLEASE CONTACT THE BLOOMFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT
New things are alway happening here at the Bloomfield Police Department! Check back every now and then and find out just what's going on!
Interested in A Concealed Carry Permit? You can download the Missouri Brochure containing information about the permit by CLICKING HERE!
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