Police earn award for seat-belt challenge
Mount Prospect's new traffic unit is already garnering honors.
Dennis Anderson, traffic safety liaison with the Illinois Department of Transportation, handed Sgt. Mike Eterno a Light Detection and Ranging unit -- a sensor similar to radar -- as a reward for the police department's first-place finish in a challenge to enforce the seat-belt laws.
The $3,000 piece of equipment is used in speed enforcement.
Charity auction:ŒFor those interested in saving the Central School, Mount Prospect's one-room schoolhouse, built in 1896, here is a gentle reminder.
A public art auction to benefit the project is being held Friday evening at Bogie's Ale House, 303 E. Kensington Road, across from Home Depot.
The event, which lasts from 6 p.m. until midnight, will feature pizza and musical entertainment, as well as the auctioning of vintage school chairs.
One of those who have offered their talents in decorating the chairs was Mount Prospect's officer friendly, Bill Roscop. He said his chair is painted black and white like a squad car, festooned with stickers and badges and draped with a vintage Mount Prospect police jacket.
Another contributing artist is Village Manager Michael Janonis's 23-year-old son Chris, who majored in art at the University of Illinois.
Back to school: With the village commemorating School's Open-Safety Week, Chief John Dahlberg said he has some "teeth to go along with the bark" when urging drivers to pay attention in school zones, now that the traffic unit is up and running.
Within the next two weeks, Dahlberg said, the officers will be assigned to different school zones, including Prospect High School, "so forewarned is forearmed."
What the traffic can bear: Dahlberg acknowledged that many residents were concerned that the traffic unit would be a revenue generator. However, he said, "It's far from that. It will always cost us more to field the traffic unit than it will ever generate in revenue. But when you look at the types of violations they cite on a regular basis -- for example, trucks that spill their load -- these are the types of violations that are so aggravating to our residents, who are driving a brand new car (and) have a windshield cracked by debris from a truck or their paint damaged from some falling materials."
He said one needs to look at the fact that the focus is broad and the experience of the officers allows them to pay attention to the full spectrum of violations.
"Officer Bill Nelson, Officer Tom Nowak and Sgt. Mike Eterno really are the dictionary of law enforcement as it relates to traffic issues."
He added that traffic enforcement can lead officers to evidence of other criminal violations.