The Riverside police won’t have their new, portable speed sign for another month or so, but Chief Thomas Weitzel already has a list of residents who want the device set up on their streets to discourage speeding.
The department is buying the Stalker speed monitor using funds it has collected over the years through DUI convictions resulting from arrests in Riverside. For each conviction, the state allows each department to deposit $100 ($200 for a second conviction) in a special fund that can be used to fund equipment and programs aimed at DUI enforcement and education.
Through the years, Riverside has saved $37,000 in its DUI fund. The speed trailer will cost about $9,800, including shipping, and is funded entirely through the DUI account, Weitzel said.
The 700-pound trailer includes a radar unit and a digital sign that flashes the speed of an oncoming vehicle. The unit also has a sign stating the speed limit on the street. A computer can give police information on the number of cars traveling past the sign and their speeds. The unit is powered by a solar panel.
For a week earlier this month, Riverside police set up a model unit on Barrypoint, Northgate, Selborne and Woodside roads. It appearance triggered calls to Weitzel asking for the unit to be placed in other areas of the village.
Weitzel said it’s his intention to allow people to make requests either through the village’s Web site or by e-mail once the department receives its trailer, which should be in 30 to 45 days.
“It’s a device that slows traffic down that doesn’t cost us man hours,” Weitzel said.
-Bob Uphues