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HOWLAND -- The township saw a reduction of 46 crashes in a five-month period after implementing the handheld speed camera program earlier this year.
Howland police Chief Nick Roberts told trustees Wednesday that the police department ran the speed photo enforcement program from March to July 2018 with a reduction of 16 percent in auto accidents -- 305 crashes from March to July 2017 compared to 259 from March to July 2018.
"The statistics show there was a reduction of 46 crashes after initiating the program. The cameras helped in reducing crashes," he said.
Roberts said the program provided "eye opening data" on how many commuters are traveling at excessive speeds.
One statistic that surprised him was that in five months, there was 1,831 speeding violations in school zones, which Roberts said is "unacceptable."
"When I saw the 1,831 violations, I was floored. The excessive speeding in the 20-miles-per-hour school zones range from 6 miles per hour over the posted speed limit to 24 miles per hour over the posted speed limit," he said.
Roberts said the school zones will continue to be a top priority. Roberts said in addition to state Route 46 and school zones, the "dangerous intersection" of state Route 82 and Howland Wilson Road is also covered.
He said the department is waiting for final approval from the Ohio Department of Transportation on permits for speed cameras, which were previously revoked.
"We had to resubmit the paperwork to renew our permits. We will not use the cameras until we get word from ODOT that they have reinstated our cameras," Roberts said.
In other business, trustees approved a second resource officer for Howland schools at $76,580. Roberts said the school district agreed to cover the total cost. The other resource officer's pay is split 50-50.
He said two officers were needed to cover the district's school buildings. Both will work from September 2018 to May 2019 and will work for the township during the summer.
Trustees also hired Nicholas Brancaccio as a patrolman at a salary of approximately $49,000 plus benefits totaling about $27,500. Brancaccio is a Howland resident who graduated from Kent State University Police Academy and did his intership with Howland police in 2015. He recently worked eight weeks with the Trumbull County Sheriff's Office.
bcoupland@tribtoday.com