The decision by the Commerce Police Department and Commerce City Council regarding the creation of a city police unit certified to conduct Motor Carrier Compliance inspections of big trucks should be made strictly from a public safety standpoint.
That is not to say that revenue is not to be considered. In today’s economic climate, Commerce cannot afford to start a new program without making sure that there is revenue to offset its costs. On the other hand, no law enforcement effort should be driven by anticipated revenue.
The proposal to create the new Motor Carrier Compliance unit comes from the police department where two major concerns are cited: public safety and drug interdiction.
Those who live and work downtown see the high number of trucks that go through every day, 18-wheelers often speeding, in areas where motorists must back out of parking spaces, where adults and children are walking and riding. Safety is a concern. One of the purported virtues of building the U.S. 441 bypass was to remove heavy truck traffic from the downtown, but many trucks bound to or from I-85 spurn the bypass for the quicker route through Commerce.
There are also many heavy trucks on the road that do not have the required DOT certification. At present, city police cannot stop them unless there is a traffic violation. Such a vehicle is highly likely to have a multitude of safety violations, from faulty tires and brakes to inadequate sleep for the driver.
Law enforcement officials also say that the trafficking of drugs and drug money is increasingly done with large trucks. Part of the reason is that with fewer law enforcement agencies authorized to do DOT-style stops, the odds of a big truck being pulled over are less than when transport is by passenger vehicles. That is a valid consideration.
In the end, if the creation of a new police unit enhances public safety, helps deter crime and is financially feasible, the city should proceed. Most citizens will support the enforcement of laws and the effort of police to not just apprehend criminals, but also to deter those who would put the public at risk by operating unsafe vehicles.
I am getting so very, very sick and tired of people saying that the police only sit on the interstate, and they are not in town. The patrol officers are not usually on the interstate, unless they are dispatched to the interstate. So, yes, they are in town when your hypothetical child goes missing. The officers that work the interstate as an assignment are primarily detectives, and have no impact whatsoever on the department's ability to answer calls closer to the city center. As a matter of fact, if the hypothetical missing child situation was realized, you would have 2-3 detectives on the scene of that too, because they would come off the interstate to respond. Please learn more about what you think you have an issue with before you go spewing verbal diarrhea on a public forum.