Altoona Police Department uses aerial traffic enforcement
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Kaitlyn Riley
Altoona (WQOW) - The Altoona Police Department teamed up with the Wisconsin State Patrol to have aerial surveillance over drivers along Hwy. 53 Thursday.
Altoona Police waited along the Southbound ramp to Hwy. 53 near Woodman's Food Market as a Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper Pilot measured the speed and following distance of cars 1,500 feet below. Thursday marked the third time the Altoona Police Department used plane patrol in 2016. Police said they have seen an increase in accidents along Hwy. 53 because many people are looking at the new River Prairie Development and not paying attention to the road, which can lead to multiple accidents at 65 miles per hour.
Altoona Police said the number of stops they make with a plane is tenfold what they could do with a car, especially since most speeders slow down once they see an officer ahead. The plane also lets officers find a more safe place to pull cars over. The plane flew for less than two and a half hours Thursday. In that time, Altoona Police made 27 traffic stops and had two arrests for open warrants.
"The benefits outweigh what the costs would be to enforce something like that," Lieutenant Dave Livingston with the Altoona Police Department said. "It is paramount to the safety of the citizen and pedestrians, people traveling on the roadway who just sometimes need a reminder that if you do violate the law, you are going to get a ticket."
The Wisconsin State Patrol trooper pilot follows a driver breaking the law until police pull that car over to make sure they did get the right vehicle. They measure vehicle speeds using a computer system that calculates how fast they are going based on how many lines on the road they pass within a certain amount of time. They also call in cars that are less than a second behind vehicles in front of them because officers say it takes a little less than a second for drivers to respond to what is happening in front of them.
Wisconsin State Patrol said they only have three planes, and they have five pilots that travel across the state for aerial enforcement. Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper Bill Lindeman was in the air Thursday. Lindeman joined the Wisconsin State Patrol after working for the City of Altoona. He said he joined because he really enjoyed flying. It was something he has done since he was 16, and he was glad to use it in his career.
"It is great, and we are trying to reach out to more and more municipalities and sheriff's departments and trying to work with them on these to improve traffic safety," Lindeman said. "It is definitely one of our goals."
The planes are also used for surveillance, search and rescue, taking photographs, and more. The Wisconsin State Patrol will be using the plane in Superior Friday. Lindeman said they typically try to let drivers know when they will be in the area with posts on social media, or signs saying, "Your speed is being measured by aircraft."
The Wisconsin State Patrol covers all costs of operating the plane for local agencies to have traffic stops.
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