Dear Editor:
“Ford’s Follies” (aka the Linn Police Department) are about as effective as Dwight Massey was as Mayor.
They don’t mind sitting on the Town Square, by the Donut Shop, for hours on end hoping they won’t be disturbed when they should be stopping speeders on residential streets. A family member and I had supper one evening at the Mexican Restaurant “El Carnaval”. When we entered the parking lot a police cruiser was sitting in the parking lot with the officer talking on his cell phone. Two hours later, when we came out, the same cruiser was still parked in the same spot and the officer was still talking on his cell phone. Is that what we pay the police department for?
Chief Ford has been advised on numerous occasions regarding speeders on Linn’s only thru street, besides Main Street, (Massey Expressway aka Jefferson Street), his response was “We drive down Jefferson Street twice a day” I agree at that moment in time they control the speeders but when it really counts, the cops are where? Going down the street a half an hour before/after rush hour in the mornings/evenings is not controlling speeders.
The problem speeders are not “out of towners” although there are a few, the problem speeders are high school drivers, Linn Tech drivers and some local people coming or going to work.
I have observed a patrol car going down the street about 100 yards behind a car driving faster than the speed limit and going nothing to stop the driver.
Instead of sitting on the Square hours on end and maybe catching two out of towners speeding, they should be sitting on a residential street catching 10-15 speeders. This type of police behavior does not secure public safety and you don’t need to know city ordinances to stop speeders.
What does it take for the police to take notice of public safety FIRST and stop the speeding on residential streets? Especially on Jefferson Street.
I would be happy to provide photographs of speeding cars or license plate numbers so that the police have ample reasons to step up their “Public Safety”.
A few students late for classes or a few people late for work plus hitting daddy’s pocketbook would certainly curtail some of the speeding.
Come on police department, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out what it takes to provide “Public Safety” on Linn’s streets.
Dieter F. Palmer, USN (Ret)
