WH Police Department expands safety tools

Police Chief Rick Waller and Sgt. James Stewart show off the speed monitoring trailer that the Whitehouse Police Department recently acquired. The department also received a van donated from the Whitehouse VFD.

The Whitehouse Police Department has two new tools in their arsenal of public safety.

The first came via a donation from the Whitehouse Volunteer Fire Department. This older model box van has only 11,000 miles on it.

"It was previously used by the WVFD for the dive team and for equipment hauling and storage," Police chief Rick Waller said. "It was still in good shape. Just needed a paint job and some clean up."

It now wears the blue stripes of the PD as well as other police markings.

The van will be a multi purpose utility vehicle. It will hold lights, generators and other equipment that could be needed at a crime scene. Waller says the van will also be used at other events in city.

"We've been looking for something like this," Waller said. "We were just really lucky it came our way."

The WPD also received an item that Waller says he has requested in his budget for the past several years. That is a speed monitor trailer.

This model has a two digit, 18 inch LED display that is visible in direct sunlight at 1,000 feet. The trailer has on over speed alarm which causes the speed display to flash the speed when a violation is detected.

The speed monitor trailer was purchased from MPH Industries in Kentucky. It is one of the oldest and largest police radar equipment companies supplying law enforcement agencies more than 4000 radars per year.

"The trailer will be placed in varying areas within the city," Waller said. "If we have reports or concerns of a particular area being a problem, we'll place it there for a while."

Waller said this device is proven to improve citizen safety in just reminding people to slow down.

"This is just another way to assist the motoring public in controlling their speed," Waller said. "Hopefully it will help motorists be more aware of their speed."

Waller says that the warning ticket ratio in Whitehouse is about 50/50. On average, the officers stopping vehicles are issuing less citations and more warning in recent years. This has been a conscious decision of the department.

This speed monitor trailer will assist the WPD in their efforts to create a more friendly relationship with the community.