Posted on 06/10/2005 2:38:34 PM PDT by MRMEAN
NAHANT - Nahant Police and State Police have drawn battle lines along the causeway.
The town and the state police have joint jurisdiction on the causeway and Nahant Rotary, but apparently a sharp difference on traffic enforcement strategy.
Town Police Lt. Thomas Hutton said after the department received at least 20 complaints from town residents who were ticketed by state police for speeding on the causeway, Nahant officers moved to warn its residents to slow down.
The department stationed marked cruisers with lights flashing at two spots along the causeway during rush hour Friday evening, as state police were clocking vehicles, and officers were waving at vehicles to warn motorists to slow down.
That move did not sit well with state police.
According to one civilian eyewitness, State Police Sgt. Paul Barbieri "ordered" Nahant cruisers off the causeway twice Friday evening.
"Nahant police politely declined to be moved," the witness said.
Hutton said the department was being "proactive" and ensuring that motorists were driving safely.
State Police Sgt. Richard Donovan called the situation "ridiculous."
"If Nahant officers were warning vehicles to slow down when state police were using radar for traffic enforcement they were interfering with state police operations," Donovan said.
Donovan said the state and local police have joint jurisdiction on the causeway, but State Police Public Information Officer Sharon Costine said state police are the primary authority.
"The bottom line is it is part of our patrol area. It is our roadway and is not in the town of Nahant," Costine said."Apparently Nahant has an issue with us being there."
According to several town residents, including a 90-year-old great-grandmother, the state police have been aggressively targeting Nahant residents.
The speed limit at each end of the causeway is 35 mph and the posted speed limit is 45 mph on the rest of the road that connects the peninsula town with Lynn.
According to police, some residents have been ticketed for going 40 mph in the 35 mph zone.
"According to the people who called us, the tickets were issued by state police where the speed limit drops from 45-miles to 35-miles," Hutton said.
Hutton said the two departments have historically have had a "good working relationship."
"This problem started a couple of weeks ago when town officials said they intend to bill the state for services the town provides to the causeway and the Nahant Beach Reservation. The state turned it into a p- - - - - -contest," Hutton said.
Donovan said allegations the state police are targeting Nahant residents is "nonsense."
"We use radar and when someone is speeding they are stopped and they are given a ticket or warning as appropriate. We are looking at the radar gun, not at Nahant (parking) stickers," Donovan said.
Donovan said the state police have dedicated patrols on the causeway, Lynn Shore Drive and on the Lynnway on weekends, and has stepped up traffic enforcement.
"We had a lot of complaints from Nahant police about speeding on the causeway and in the (Nahant Beach Reservation) parking lot," Donovan said.
Police Chief William F. Waters said that is "an absolute lie."
"The Nahant police has never complained to the state about speeding cars on the causeway," Waters said.
Hehe...Seems like the Staties would rather write tickets then make sure people drive below the speed limit.
And from reaing the article over again this is definitely a pi&&ing contest.
Is the goal of the statists staties revenue "generation" (actually revenue redirection by force of arms) or is it traffic safety?? The head of the state department needs to make a public statement clzrifying this on the 6 o'clock news.
Many years ago there was and still may be a seafood restaurant called the Tides, if I remember correctly, on the Nahant end of the beach. Two Staties beat the hell of a couple of the Nahant locals, both the Staties were drunk, one of the Staties was friend of mine and is now a retired Boston Cop, disability, but that is another story.
Staties: tax collectors with guns.
Nahant cops are mad that the revenue goes directly to the state.
Staties only show up in the summer, nice gig.
If you haven't learned to slow down to 35 on both ends of the causeway, well, c'est la vie.
I guess the dispute would have to be on the Causeway. Nahant is an island, and there's not enough room on the rest of it to speed up.
In my youth the cops there were always hard cases, it is nice to see that they have mellowed, My Aunt has a place there, Nahant, met my dear ex there alot of bad memories connected to that place.
Here's how the racket in MA works. It's an odds game. The state gets all the money on little tickets but the town gets to keep the potential $5000 fine on the no insurance shakedown. So the townies pull the lever hoping for 3 cherries but the state gets the rest of the money when it doesn't come up. The staties are just pissed that the townies are cutting in on their action. If these guys weren't on the People's payroll they'd be in jail for being mafia extortionists.
Well, this is very telling, isn't it? If the state officers were public safety officials, they would appreciate the proactive approach to slow down drivers.
This proves they are revenue enhancement officials -- they openly admit here that they don't want people to slow down.
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