The late January enforcement action resulted in a number of citations and attracted both support and concern
By MIKE WILEY
Publisher
During midday on Thursday, January 29th, if you were driving west on Hwy. 26 going into Sandy on Proctor Blvd., you would have seen downtown Sandy lit up with bright flashing lights from multiple police cars.
Was it a terrorist attack? A hostage situation? A bank robbery gone bad?
Nope. It was the Sandy Police Department running a “pedestrian safety mission” designed to catch drivers who were speeding through town or who weren’t stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks, or both.
In a Facebook post, the Sandy Police Department described the action: “On Thursday, January 29th, the Sandy Police Department conducted a planned pedestrian safety mission in the downtown core of the city, with assistance from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.”
The post said that the focus of the enforcement action was to improve safety for pedestrians. The department reported that during the mission, drivers were stopped by officers for a variety of traffic violations, including failure to stop for a pedestrian, speeding, driving with a suspended license, driving uninsured, and using a mobile device while driving. The enforcement action resulting in 97 citations being issued.
“Traffic safety is vitally important and takes an entire community effort. Pedestrians are particularly vulnerable, and drivers are reminded that a crosswalk is a crosswalk, whether it is marked or unmarked,” said the Sandy PD post. “Please slow down, stay alert, and help keep our community safe,” the post urged.
Chief Huskey explains the effort
In an interview with Hoodview News, Sandy Police Chief Patrick Huskey defended the action and said that the enforcement effort was a result of many citizen complaints about vehicles going through downtown Sandy disregarding speed limits and drivers’ failing to stop for pedestrians waiting in crosswalks. Huskey said the Sandy City Council had asked him if there was something that the department could do, and he suggested the enforcement effort.
“We have received a lot of complaints from the citizenry on not being able to cross the street safely,” said Chief Huskey. He specifically referred to the danger posed to the nearby Sandy Grade School and the Sandy Library, which is across Proctor Boulevard from the school, by drivers speeding or failing to heed crosswalks.
Huskey said, “Over the years, we’ve had pedestrian fatalities here in the city and it’s sometimes related to people that are failing to yield for the pedestrian. Our last pedestrian fatality was due to somebody not stopping when lawfully required to do so. So we have to do these saturation patrols in order to spread the word and keep people aware.”
Citizens both concerned and supportive
For the enforcement effort, the Police department utilized citizen volunteers. While many citizens supported the enforcement efforts, some expressed concerns about the methods. In conversations with Hoodview News people suggested that if pedestrians were simply trying to cross the street to reach the library or another destination but couldn’t because drivers failed to stop, that would be understandable. However, they also said it might be a concern if people were sent to repeatedly circle the block specifically to identify motorists who didn’t yield. At the same time, people generally expressed support for the safety effort, noting that many children and teenagers are in the area and emphasizing that no one wants to see anyone get hurt, making it easy to understand the intent.
Such pedestrian safety missions and speed enforcement efforts like the one in late January have been conducted before, but not recently. At those times, public notice was sometimes given to the community beforehand, but such notice is not a requirement prior to an enforcement action. This time, there was no advance public notice.
4500 pound vehicles
Speaking about the enforcement effort itself, Chief Huskey said, “Most of the people I stopped that day told me they didn’t see the pedestrians. Well, if we’re driving through town in a 25 mile per hour zone, which turns into a 20 during school days when children are present, we need to be aware of our surroundings. We need to be on the lookout for that person crossing the road unexpectedly, even if they’re in the wrong spot. It’s our duty as a driver to be aware of our surroundings. Often we’re distracted by a conversation in the car, phone call, directions on our phone, whatever it is. We need to be aware we’re driving a 4500 pound vehicle that can do a lot of damage to a kid or a person.”
Huskey said that after 27 years in law enforcement, mainly with the Oregon State Police, this had been his first opportunity to work a pedestrian safety mission. “ I was just amazed at how many people were not paying attention, or just not aware that they were required to stop. So, I’m glad we were able to get out there and show some enforcement and show some education,” said Huskey.
Contacted by email, Sandy City Manager Tyler Deems said, “Pedestrian safety is paramount to the walkability and enjoyment of the downtown Sandy area. I appreciate the work done by Sandy Police and other agencies to ensure our community is safe.” HVN