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North Park Police to buy data-enabled speed trailer; chief reiterates department won’t ask immigration status
Summary
The North Park Police Department told Hyde Park council it ordered a data-capable speed trailer to gather speed and volume data and help traffic decisions; the chief also reassured residents that patrol policy is not to ask immigration status, though jail processes may involve separate protocols.
The North Park Police Department told Hyde Park City Council on Feb. 12 that it has ordered a new data-capable speed trailer—expected to ship in May—to capture vehicle speed, volume and 85th-percentile speed for use in traffic studies and grant applications.
The department’s chief said the trailers purchased in 2002–03 lack data-acquisition capability and are difficult to maintain. The new trailer will provide charts and downloadable data to support engineering and public-works decisions about appropriate limits on corridors the council has flagged, including Seventh East, Fourth North and Canyon Road. The chief said the department also discussed lower-cost permanent sign units that capture data, noting they cost roughly one-third of a trailer.
On community concerns about immigration enforcement, the chief told the council it is department policy “to not ask immigration status” and to “handle business as usual,” taking routine identifying information such as driver’s license, registration and insurance during traffic incidents. He encouraged community members to contact the department with concerns and offered ride-alongs and public presentations to build trust. The chief clarified the police department’s role: if an arrest results in transport to the county jail, that facility has its own protocols and may coordinate with ICE if appropriate.
January activity: the chief reported 455 calls in January, up from 428 the prior year, and said a recent week had 125 calls. He described staffing and training status: one officer in training on the “ghost week” portion of field training, and another officer in an active training phase. The department reported about 47 traffic stops during the referenced week and that medical calls were the largest single category that week (16 medicals), along with other serious calls including a sexual offense and a stalking case.
No formal action was required; council heard the report and the chief’s public-safety and community-engagement plans.
