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Copters to bust speeders
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| Burbank Police helicopter pilot Steve Conaway stands next to the Burbank Police helicopter that will assist Glendale Police in air traffic support to catch speeders on Glenoaks Boulevard. -- Dan Watson / The Leader |
A new program will see airborne officers pacing traffic on Glenoaks Boulevard, notorious for speed.
By Jason Wells
BURBANK — As Glendale Police Officers Sean McLaughlin and Dave Gillispie hovered more than 500 feet above West Glenoaks Boulevard Thursday, there were few places for speeding motorists to hide.
An announcement made just minutes earlier at the joint Glendale/Burbank Air Support Unit at Bob Hope Airport put the official stamp on a new traffic enforcement program that will have police helicopters and ground patrol units working in tandem to catch speeders on Glendale streets.
A section of West Glenoaks Boulevard notorious for speed contests and reckless driving incidents between Alameda Avenue and Pacific Avenue will be the focus of what is the only known municipal airborne enforcement program currently in use in the state, authorities said.
"It's sort of revolutionary," said Glendale Police Capt. Lief Nicolaisen at a press conference announcing the new program. "We hope it has a strong deterrent factor."
Basically, helicopter crews pace suspected speeders along the portion of West Glenoaks against white painted "X" marks spaced a quarter-mile apart near the center of westbound lanes — day or night.
Once the helicopter is moving with or slightly slower than the speeding vehicle, the pilots clock themselves between two marks. Since it takes 22.5 seconds to travel a quarter-mile at the road's 40 mph speed limit, anything under that time means the motorist is speeding, said Glendale Police Lt. Carl Povilaitis.
A pass clocked at 18 seconds is equal to 50 mph, according to a time chart. At 12 seconds, the speed increases to 75 mph. Ten seconds corresponds with 90 mph.
Pilots will relay the information to patrol officers on the ground, who will then issue the citation.
While reaching those speeds may seem nearly impossible on most city streets, the layout of West Glenoaks lends itself to the wills of speeding motorists with more spacing between traffic lights and wide, straight lanes, police said.
Over the past month, at least six motorists have been cited for reckless driving along that portion or road, according to police reports. Recently, one motorist was stopped for reportedly driving 103 mph, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams said.
More than 20% of all fatal crashes are caused by speeding, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a situation the city is hoping to prevent with the new airborne support program.
As of April, 7,304 traffic citations were issued throughout the city, according to police reports.
It was unclear how many of those were issued for speeding, or were issued on West Glenoaks, but Adams said it was in the thousands.
The numbers, and the complaints they elicited from nearby residents and business owners, spurred the extra layer of enforcement, authorities said.
"Today is the day when we'll look back and see the tide has turned," said Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian at the conference. "The city of Glendale simply will not put up with it."
The new program will use all three helicopters in joint Glendale/Burbank Police fleet, with another scheduled to come online later this year. Burbank pilots will also be used for patrols as part of the joint-operating agreement signed in May.
In developing the air operation, Glendale Police took a page from the California Highway Patrol, which has had its own airborne enforcement program for about 30 years. Police pilots were certified in pacing vehicles from the air within 5 mph and took part in several fly-alongs with CHP officers. Traffic court judges and district attorneys were also briefed on the mechanics of the program to ensure a smooth flow for the citations through the legal system, Adams said.
"Municipal agencies don't usually do this; but we have the tools, so why not use them?" he said.
Since the traffic operations will be folded into the daily flight patrols of the helicopters, the financial impact of the program is expected to be minimal, Nicolaisen said.
If the operation proves successful, it could be expanded to include more streets in Glendale and perhaps Burbank, officials said.
An announcement made just minutes earlier at the joint Glendale/Burbank Air Support Unit at Bob Hope Airport put the official stamp on a new traffic enforcement program that will have police helicopters and ground patrol units working in tandem to catch speeders on Glendale streets.
A section of West Glenoaks Boulevard notorious for speed contests and reckless driving incidents between Alameda Avenue and Pacific Avenue will be the focus of what is the only known municipal airborne enforcement program currently in use in the state, authorities said.
"It's sort of revolutionary," said Glendale Police Capt. Lief Nicolaisen at a press conference announcing the new program. "We hope it has a strong deterrent factor."
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Once the helicopter is moving with or slightly slower than the speeding vehicle, the pilots clock themselves between two marks. Since it takes 22.5 seconds to travel a quarter-mile at the road's 40 mph speed limit, anything under that time means the motorist is speeding, said Glendale Police Lt. Carl Povilaitis.
A pass clocked at 18 seconds is equal to 50 mph, according to a time chart. At 12 seconds, the speed increases to 75 mph. Ten seconds corresponds with 90 mph.
Pilots will relay the information to patrol officers on the ground, who will then issue the citation.
While reaching those speeds may seem nearly impossible on most city streets, the layout of West Glenoaks lends itself to the wills of speeding motorists with more spacing between traffic lights and wide, straight lanes, police said.
Over the past month, at least six motorists have been cited for reckless driving along that portion or road, according to police reports. Recently, one motorist was stopped for reportedly driving 103 mph, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams said.
More than 20% of all fatal crashes are caused by speeding, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a situation the city is hoping to prevent with the new airborne support program.
As of April, 7,304 traffic citations were issued throughout the city, according to police reports.
It was unclear how many of those were issued for speeding, or were issued on West Glenoaks, but Adams said it was in the thousands.
The numbers, and the complaints they elicited from nearby residents and business owners, spurred the extra layer of enforcement, authorities said.
"Today is the day when we'll look back and see the tide has turned," said Glendale Mayor Ara Najarian at the conference. "The city of Glendale simply will not put up with it."
The new program will use all three helicopters in joint Glendale/Burbank Police fleet, with another scheduled to come online later this year. Burbank pilots will also be used for patrols as part of the joint-operating agreement signed in May.
In developing the air operation, Glendale Police took a page from the California Highway Patrol, which has had its own airborne enforcement program for about 30 years. Police pilots were certified in pacing vehicles from the air within 5 mph and took part in several fly-alongs with CHP officers. Traffic court judges and district attorneys were also briefed on the mechanics of the program to ensure a smooth flow for the citations through the legal system, Adams said.
"Municipal agencies don't usually do this; but we have the tools, so why not use them?" he said.
Since the traffic operations will be folded into the daily flight patrols of the helicopters, the financial impact of the program is expected to be minimal, Nicolaisen said.
If the operation proves successful, it could be expanded to include more streets in Glendale and perhaps Burbank, officials said.
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