Police focus on safety, traffic flow as new school year begins
By Randy Bell
Clinton motorists who’ve driven at normal speeds in school zones this summer could get a reminder – and a ticket – from a police officer for failing to slow down, now that students are back in classes. The Clinton Police Department (CPD) will be watching for speeders in those school zones.
“Reducing speed is key for school traffic safety,” says Police Chief Ford Hayman.
At the same time, CPD wants parents dropping off and picking up their children to get in and out of the school zones as quickly as possible.
“We utilize our School Resource Officers (SROs) and crossing guards to manage traffic flow in the [school] district,” Hayman says. “Arrow Drive presents the largest challenge due to the number of schools in close proximity to each other, especially since Clinton Park, Northside and Eastside [elementary schools] see a very high volume of parents dropping off at each school daily.”
But Hayman says they have a traffic plan “that currently provides a smooth flow of traffic into and away from our schools.”
He says heavy school traffic generally clears about 7:50 each morning and by 3:30 each afternoon.
As the chief mentioned, the SROs play a role in school traffic efficiency. But their biggest responsibility is protecting the students, teachers and staff district-wide.
“We have five SROs that are on site at our schools each day during the school year,” Hayman explains.
He says their uniformed presence promotes safety, and their marked patrol vehicles increase visibility.
According to the chief, “Our belief is that SRO officers [who are] present daily provide a continual threat deterrent. They are trained for specific law enforcement duties pertaining to children and school settings. Our SROs get to know both the students and teachers, which builds trust, inherently making our school district safer.”
Last school year, police moved quickly to resolve threats to student safety at two Clinton schools. A 12-year-old suspect was apprehended only a few hours after administrators at Clinton Junior High and Sumner Hill were made aware of the threatening social media posts.
This school year, two of the SROs will again be assigned to Clinton High School, one will cover Clinton Junior High, another officer will handle Sumner Hill and Lovett Elementary while the fifth SRO’s responsibilities will be Clinton Park, Northside and Eastside elementaries.
