CLEARFIELD – Lawrence Township Police Chief Mark Brooks presented his statistics report for August to the township supervisors at last night’s meeting, noting that the assault calls were higher than usual due to charges filed in a recent child assault case that included incidents that occurred in the past 10 years.
Brooks also reported that Wave 3 of The Pennsylvania Aggressive Driving Enforcement and Education Project (PAADEEP) ended Aug. 30. He said the focus of the patrol was Route 153, which is undergoing road improvements, as a target of enforcement for Wave 3 was road work zone violations.
Brooks noted that the department cited 39 traffic violations during the patrols, adding that of those, 16 seatbelt violations were also cited. In accordance with the Buckle Up PA program, seatbelt use violations are a second violation, in that a vehicle must be stopped for another violation before a seat-belt citation can be issued.
Brooks said the citations were lower than expected. He pointed out the department had an increase in call volume with recent drug investigations and arrests, which limited the department’s time for patrols.
The Lawrence Township Police Department received a grant through the PAADEEP program to supplement costs of manpower and other expenses to conduct the added surveillance for the program.
Brooks announced the Children’s Advocacy Center of Clearfield County is up and running. He said District Attorney Bill Shaw Jr. was instrumental in the project.
Brooks said the center is a secure facility address child victims of assault. He said that this is a great service for the county, prior to which the nearest facility was in Bellefonte.
The mission of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Clearfield County is to provide a community-based, child-focused center that facilitates a compassionate, multi-disciplinary approach to the prevention, identification, intervention and treatment of child abuse.
The center operates under a partnership between the Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office and Cen-Clear Behavioral Health.
Brooks reviewed the status of the department’s patrol vehicles, noting that the 2011 Crown Victoria currently has 141,000 miles and will need replaced next year.
Supervisor William Lawhead suggested that Brooks check what is available through COSTARS, Pennsylvania’s cooperative purchasing program. Lawhead noted that the budget for the department is good, and there may be a vehicle available that will fill the department’s requirements.
Brooks said he intends to roll the Crown Victoria into service as a department transport vehicle, which is not under the mileage limitations of patrol vehicles. He noted that a new vehicle would cost around $30,000.
Brooks reported that part-time police officers Tonya Marshall and Shawn Kronenwetter will complete their field training soon. He also reported that the entire department has completed mandatory firearms qualifications for the year.
Brooks also reported that the department will participate in the Community Youth Carnival on Sept. 12, providing materials and offering child fingerprinting.