By PAULENE POPARAD

The new e-ticket capability in town of Porter Police cars has enabled officers to spend less time writing tickets and more time catching speeders.

Assistant police chief Todd Allen told the Porter Metropolitan Police Commission on Tuesday that traffic stops jumped to 142 in June with 74 citations written, 38 written warnings issued and 32 verbal warnings given.

After the meeting Allen said police have stepped up enforcement of the 35 mph speed limit on U.S. 20, which is reduced to two lanes because all four lanes between the west side of Interstate 94 in Burns Harbor and east of that interchange in Porter are being totally rebuilt.

Allen said the e-ticket allows officers to scan a driver’s license, download information, print a ticket in the cars and forward the information for police and court records. “The intent is to do everything online.”

Overall, June police activity in Porter was up slightly to 580 calls, typical for summer, said Allen. They resulted in four felony arrests and 44 for misdemeanors.

There were four vehicle thefts; nine other thefts; seven each criminal-mischief calls and for fraud; four property damage; three each battery and warrant service; two each disturbance, intimidation and public intoxication; and one each burglary, contributing to the delinquency, death investigation, disorderly conduct, false informing, invasion of privacy, minor consuming, and resisting arrest.

Regrading vehicles, there were eight VIN checks made; seven local ordinance violations; three each lockout, never obtained a driver’s license and operating while intoxicated; and one each driving while suspended/prior, lost license plate, altered interim plate, and reckless driving.

There also were seven animal control calls. Commission member Karen Pisowicz asked how response from animal control officers under new management of the Porter County Animal Shelter is going. Allen said the services offered are the same as before in keeping with the town’s contract.

During June, Porter police made 79 assists to other departments; 23 citizen assists; had six reports of found property; made five off-duty assists; had two reports each for civil matters and general information; and one each assist to other jurisdiction, commitment, lost property and town incident.

Last month of 59 calls to emergency 911, nine were misdials. Sixteen business checks were made. There were 21 business alarms and two at residences. There were 248 other calls to police. Police mileage in June wasn’t available Tuesday.

In other business, the commission voted unanimously to accept a revised department policy regarding the use of Tasers, a device that uses an electrical charge to disable a dangerous or non-cooperative person. Porter police no longer automatically will call emergency medical services to remove a discharged Taser probe, instead doing so only if the Tasered individual complains of pain or requests medical attention.

Allen said, “If it goes as it’s supposed to go and there’s no complaint of pain, we take out the probes as we’re trained to do so and we take (the individual) to jail.”

He reported relatively few calls at the recent Porter Sesquicentennial 150th town birthday celebration. Every officer was on duty and things went very well, Allen added. He later sought and was granted approval for officers who had grown goatees for the sesquicentennial with prior commission permission to be allowed to keep them at the discretion of Police Chief James Spanier. Doing so may require an amendment to general orders that require police to be clean-shaven.

Posted 7/17/2008