April 26, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
Watch your speed!
Smithville Police Chief Mark Collins is asking the city to budget funds for radar speed indicator signs. Collins addressed the mayor and aldermen during a budget workshop Monday night.
These are portable digital devices which can be moved from place to place to show motorists how fast they are traveling. Chief Collins said it’s a great tool to warn speeders to slow down.
“These are electronic speed radar signs. We could hang them anywhere in the city. Lets say you have a problem with speeding on West Main Street, you could hang this sign out. It won’t issue a ticket or record a license plate but it shows people who may not be paying attention just how fast they are going,” said Chief Collins.
“I had these when I was police chief in Alexandria, and they really worked well. For 2023, we can buy 2 of these signs for $6,199. It might cost a little more to get extra brackets, but it won’t be much extra,” he said.
“These signs will show your speed and if you go over the speed limit the signs will start flashing to get your attention to slow down. These signs can be hung on light poles, street signs, or other places. They are very mobile but very effective,” he said
“If I were to put one on West Main Street for example and leave it there for a week, I’ll be able to go in, look at this, and see how big of a speeding problem we have there. If there is a problem I’ll send the officers out there with pencils (citations) and we will really be able to deal with it,” said Chief Collins.
The mayor and aldermen have not yet acted on Chief Collins’ request.