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BY MORNING SENTINEL STAFF 05/09/2008

enlarge Morning Sentinel staff photo

SLOW DOWN: Waterville police officer Dennis Picard pulls over a motorist on College Avenue on Thursday. With summer comes more speeding and partying and soon more roadblocks and speeding details with a $10,000 grant for overtime for police officers to enforce and catch violators.

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The Police Department has received nearly $10,000 in grants to beef up patrols, set roadblocks and pay officers overtime to do the work.

City Councilors on Tuesday voted to accept the grants from the state Bureau of Highway Safety: $5,000 for enforcement of operating under the influence laws; $2,000 for seat-belt enforcement; and $2,640 for speeding details. Police Chief Joseph Massey says a lot of vehicles come into the city during the day. With only three officers on at one time it is difficult to do adequate traffic enforcement.

"It allows us to provide an increased level of traffic enforcement that we would not otherwise be able to do," Massey said Thursday.

Massey and Deputy Chief Charles Rumsey said police will work with neighboring police departments to set up OUI roadblocks, which allows for more officers to be available. The OUI details will be conducted now through Sept. 30.

"In one night, we may move our roadblock location to two or three different spots," Massey said.

The stepped-up seat-belt enforcement will be done from May 19 through June 1 as part of "Click it or Ticket," Rumsey said.

Statistics show that people are much more likely to die or be seriously injured if they do not wear seat belts, according to Massey.

"For that reason we're going to be conducting a large number of details during that two-week period to enforce the seat belt law," Rumsey said. "It's (the fine) $70 for a first offense, $160 for the second offense and $310 for a third and all subsequent offenses."

If a driver has a passenger who is a minor -- 17 and under -- the driver gets the ticket for that passenger, he said. If the passenger is 18 and over, he gets the ticket.

Massey said the speed enforcement effort will allow for officers to come in specifically to target problem areas and catch speeders. He said people surveyed in the city said speeding is their number one safety concern.

Councilors Tuesday also voted to accept $500 from the Maine Municipal Association to be used to send an officer to the Emergency Vehicle Operation Course in Maryland. The course is designed to train officers to drive in emergency situations.

Massey said that until recently, smaller police departments were unable to send officers to such training because it was not as available as it is now, and very expensive. He said officers from some area towns also will attend the course, and will be able to go back to their respective departments as instructors.

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

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