HASTE Program Targets Speedy Drivers

Motorists often wave when they drive by Officer Phillip Lilly, standing with his feet shoulder length apart and arm raised, pointing a radar gun at passing cars.

Sometimes they wave out of guilt, he said, but more often than not, "They're genuinely glad we're here."

Lilly is a member of the Howard County Police Force and on Tuesday he was monitoring traffic on Frederick Road, just a few hundred feet from the entrance to Manor Woods Elementary School.

His presence was part of the Helping Arriving Students Through Enforcement program. HASTE, as it's known, consists of increased traffic patrols near elementary, middle and high schools for the first two weeks of class.

"Our officers are out in force," said Elizabeth Schroen, public affairs officer for the Howard County Police Department. "We're looking for students, teachers … everyone arriving at school to do so safely."

To see how it's done, Patch joined Lilly on his afternoon patrol. Of course, high speed is a factor in a lot of accidents, but Lilly said there is another reason to patrol the streets just before and after school.

"Kids notice everything," he said. If mom and dad are speeding, they see that. If mom or dad get pulled over, they see that too, he said.

The speed limit on Frederick Road near Manor Woods is 40 mph. Lilly parked his cruiser facing a bright yellow sign that read "School" and beneath it, in white letters:"Fines Double."

He pulled out his radar gun and, to this reporter's surprise, a tuning fork. "Just like the ones we used to use in music class," he said. But these forks are used to test the accuracy of the radar gun before it's directed at motorists. One vibrates at 65 mph, the other, lower in pitch, at 35 mph. The gun registered both speeds accurately, and Lilly began his work.

He stood along the side of the road, aiming the radar at passing cars and, in less than 10 minutes, registered a speeding vehicle.

At this point, Lilly moved quickly, as Patch tagged along:

In the car. Seatbelts on. Hit the gas. And, in seconds Lilly pulled over a minivan that registered 51 mph.

The citation, for driving 11 mph over the speed limit, was $140.

"Most people are very understanding," Lilly said of the drivers he pulls over near schools. Many of them are on their way to pick up their own children from school, or have kids in the car when they're pulled over.

In fact, child safety is another focus of the HASTE program. Officers check that all passengers are wearing seatbelts and that child seats are properly installed. Unmarked cars follow some school buses, ensuring that traffic stops when the bus' flashing lights come on. A citation for not stopping is $570 and three points on a violator's driving record.

In about an hour and a half Lilly pulled over four vehicles, issued one citation and three warnings. "That's about typical for this program," he said. Whether an officer issues a warning or a citation is up to that officer's discretion; the only way to make sure a driver does not  have to pay a fine is to obey the posted speed limit.

"Most people appreciate that we're in the area," Lilly said. But then again, "most people don't want a citation."