With school back in session, the Alliance Police Department is asking drivers to slow down in school zones and to drive cautiously around school buses.
APD Chief David Leavitt said that officers completed a lot of enforcement in the school zones at the beginning of the school year, and they are continuing that enforcement as students return from winter break.
“We wrote a large number of citations in the school zones,” said Leavitt. “It’s gotten a little better. We still patrol school zones daily. Our SRO Tyler Sherlock is out there patroling those school zones on a regular basis, and trying to keep our kids safe.
“The school zones aren’t just before and after school; in Alliance, the school zones are from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” Leavitt said. “That’s because we’ve got activities going on. We’ve got kids going to various activities by themselves, walking with their teachers when weather allows, and a lot of coming and going all day long, not just before and after school.”
Leavitt explained that in school zones, officers are less likely to be lenient with driving offenses because it is a danger to students.
“On a normal street, the officer may give you a little more leeway before he pulls you over,” said Leavitt. “In a school zone, 20 means 20. If you’re going over 20 miles per hour, you’re probably going to get pulled over. It’s just really important people obey those speed limits.”
In an effort to help the community, Leavitt has undertaken a school-bus route, transporting students as a school bus driver in his spare time. He noted that during his route, he consistently sees driving that causes concern.
“State law says that if you are approaching a school bus from either direction, and those red lights are flashing and that stop arm is out, you have to come to a complete stop prior to reaching the school bus,” Leavitt said. “Almost every time I drive, someone runs the stop sign. Literally almost every time I drive. When you see that school bus, and the red lights are flashing, the stop sign is out, you have got to stop. We’ve written a lot of school bus tickets for running the stop sign since school started. Not only are we putting children’s lives in danger when we run that stop sign, it’s an expensive ticket. I believe it’s a $550 ticket.”
Leavitt explained that the positive aspect is that a portion of the proceeds from tickets written in the school zones or for running a school bus stop sign goes back to the school district.
“But, I’d rather educate our drivers that they’ve got to be mindful of those lights when they’re flashing, and they’ve got to stop,” said Leavitt. “If I’m unloading at Emerson, and that child’s parent is on the other side of the street, they might cross in front of the bus, which they’re allowed to do with the stop sign. We discourage that, but we have to be prepared for a child who might see mom or dad parked on the other side of the street and decide to run across the street. Not stopping could mean a child getting injured or killed.”
Even outside of school zones, in the mornings and afternoons, Leavitt encourages drivers to stay vigilant and to watch for youth making their way to school.
“Just be extra aware when we’ve got those kids walking, because they don’t always look both ways,” Leavitt said. “They might drop something in the middle of the street and stop to pick it up without realizing there’s a car coming. Every year, across America, we’ve got kids getting injured and killed going to and from school, and getting on and off school buses. I just really don’t want that to happen here. I’d like to keep our kids safe, and like the public to help us do that.”