Neighborhood speed watch may soon arrive in Bartholomew County
COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) – The Bartholomew County Sheriff is looking into creating a neighborhood speed watch program.
It would essentially be a traffic version of crime watch groups.
Residents would be trained on how to use radar units. Speed, license plate numbers and information collected from those radars would then be sent to authorities.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers said the program would let residents play an active part in making their neighborhoods safer. They could watch for people driving dangerously; later, the sheriff said, law enforcement would review the information collected from those radar units and send a letter to the owners of the speeding vehicles. The letter would inform the vehicle owners about the program and encourage them to slow down.
One mom said who lives near Shadow Creek Boulevard in Columbus said she would love to see the program. She said speeding is a big problem in her neighborhood. It’s gotten so bad she doesn’t even let her kids outside by themselves.
“It makes me mad. It freaks me out. If they lose control, jump the curb, they’re going to hit my kid, so, yeah, it’s infuriating,” Tiffany Pepe said. “We’ve got a lot of stay-at-home moms or grandparents, and I’m sure all of us would love to partake in it and help if we could.”
According to the Bartholomew County sheriff, versions of this program are being used in at least five cities across the country including Sacramento, California; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Seattle.
The sheriff asked the public to share their thoughts on the potential program on his Facebook page.
