Skip to main content

Chester County Press

Oxford Police are dumbstruck

08/21/2014 09:38AM ● By Acl

By Uncle Irvin

According to a Third Street Oxford merchant and residents of Mt. Vernon Street, motorists are exceeding the posted 25-mile-per-hour speed limit, and the Oxford police force (which is bankrupting the borough with the highest municipal millage in Chester County) isn't doing anything about the problem. 

Municipal police forces in Pennsylvania are restricted from using radar. But there are several other solutions that the unimaginative Oxford Police Department, the mayor and council could use to cut down on motorists exceeding the posted speed limit. One is to post an officer in a police car at the Third and Market intersection to issue citations for careless driving, which is defined as “driving a vehicle with careless disregard to safety, person or property."

A professional police officer ought to be able to eyeball drivers going faster than 25 miles an hour without a radar gun and cite them for careless driving, which results in at least a $25 fine, plus court costs and points, which could lead to loss of a license. Another solution would be to install 24-hour cameras at the intersection, which could identify violators by taking a picture of their license plate so police could issue a citation.

If Uncle Irvin can figure out some creative alternative measures to eliminate speeding, why can't the borough's highly paid police chief John Slauch, an elected mayor and borough council?

Bringing a state policeman to enforce speed limits in the borough is a waste of manpower, which is in very short supply. 

This problem is for Oxford to solve. I'm betting they don’t have a clue.