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| Pedestrian crossing
key issue for police |
Philip D. Brown
Police Beat
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Foster Hunt | The AppalachianPedestrians crossing Rivers Street
at unmarked areas are in danger of being hit by oncoming vehicles.
The reasoning behind slowing traffic on the street is for the
safety of student pedestrians. Several Appalachian students were
hit by moving vehicles last semester.
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The Appalachian State
University Police Department has increased its traffic patrols on
Rivers Street this semester, already issuing 21 state citations
for motor vehicle violations.
Of the 21 citations issued, 16 were issued during
the day when there is heavy pedestrian activity due to students
crossing the road traveling to and from classes. On Jan. 15, eight
citations were issued between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“In most of these incidents, speeding citations
were issued,” Maj. Larry Foster of the University Police Department
said. “There were other violations issued, such as seatbelt
tickets … and even a DWI, but we are most committed to slowing
the traffic down on Rivers Street.” |
Of those
21 citations issued this semester, 12 were for speeding, seven for
failing to wear a seatbelt and one for driving without a license.
The lone DWI was issued at 3:59 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 19. An arrest
was made, and the case was turned over to the Watauga County justice
system.
The reasoning behind slowing traffic down on Rivers Street is
the safety of student pedestrians. This is due to several Appalachian
State students having been hit by moving vehicles on the street
in the past.
“Jaywalking is still a problem on Rivers Street,”
Foster said. “Though we still haven’t found a way to eliminate
jaywalking, it has decreased [during this semester].”
Though jaywalking can be linked with many of the accidents involving
students being hit, police efforts to slow down traffic should go
a long way toward minimizing the risk.
It is in fact illegal, as well as dangerous, to cross Rivers
Street at a point where there is no crosswalk, or to cross when
the pedestrian signal is displaying “Don’t Walk”
in red. At each stoplight a pedestrian signal is located, where
one needs only press the button and wait 10 to 20 seconds until
“Walk” is displayed in yellow.
Another outlet helpful in avoiding a potential accident is making
use of the tunnels between the east and west sides of campus, as
freshman E. Blake Nowlin chooses to do.
“I always take the tunnels,” Nowlin said. “At
night, I wish they were more lit up, but I’d rather cross there
than try to cross the street.” |
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| Report: 32% fewer violent
crimes in 2002 |
Philip
D. Brown
Police Beat |
Crime
statistics for Boone in 2002, compiled by the Town of Boone Police
Department, reported Monday a 32 percent decrease in violent crime,
while property crime increased by 24 percent.
“It is encouraging to see the reduction in violent crimes,”
said Boone Police Chief Bill Post in Monday’s press release.
“Boone has historically had a fairly low rate of violent crime,
and it is important to continue that trend.”
Violent crime is characterized by behaviors that induce the bodily
harm of another, such as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
Property crime is the category that arson, larceny and burglary
fall under. This type of crime is carried out against the property
of another rather than their person.
Not only did violent crime decrease overall, but rape, robbery,
serious assault and misdemeanor assault all decreased respectively,
and there was no instance of murder in Boone throughout 2001 or
2002, according to the statistics.
“The guys and girls here at the department have tried to use
proactive efforts to reduce crime,” said Capt. Curtis Main.
“We are continually looking at statistics and trends and deciding
how to act to prevent crimes from happening.”
The increase in property crime was attributed nearly completely
to a rise in reported larcenies from 416 in 2001 to 539 in 2002.
The department said it believes this phenomenon is linked to the
growth of the methamphetamine trade in Watauga County, as some addicts
have been supporting their habit by stealing.
There is some evidence to support this theory. Drug charges went
up 81 percent, from 58 in 2001 to 105 in 2002. Residential burglaries
and arsons are the only two other categories that reported an increase
in occurrence.
DWI arrests were also significantly reduced in 2002, reported as
down 18 percent from 219 to 180. The year 2002 yielded a 7 percent
reduction in motor vehicle accidents with property damage only,
as well as a 22 percent reduction in accidents with personal injury.
“We have spent a lot of time and energy trying to educate the
public about traffic safety and designated drivers,” said Main.
“We don’t necessarily think there are less [DWI] arrests
because there are less out there, but we certainly [feel] these
efforts have paid off.”
Vandalism was also down 20 percent, from 230 instances in 2001 to
184 last year.
For the second straight year, there were three Boone Police personnel
injured on duty, though none of the cases were life threatening.
These statistics were compiled within the department, and official
statistics will be put together by the North Carolina State Police
later this year. |
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