By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph Police Chief Paul Luster says his department is responding to residents’ concerns about traffic violations, including expired temporary license plates.
Luster says the city survey confirmed what he has heard during community meetings.
The police chief says the department has partnered with the Missouri State Highway Patrol to use its helicopter during traffic saturation efforts. Luster says he hopes the word gets out about a crackdown on traffic violations.
“Getting that message out that we’re going to take this seriously,” Luster tells KFEQmmunity. “So, we get out there do a lot of traffic stops, write a lot of tickets, write a lot of warnings, do a lot of education, but then also have that helicopter element in the sky, too, which works out really well for us.”
Two recent saturation events illustrate the point. In the first, five drivers fled from police officers attempting to pull them over. All five were apprehended. In the second, four drivers fled. All four face charges.
Luster says none realized they were being tracked by the Highway Patrol helicopter.
“A lot of them, home base is their residence,” Luster says. “So, they’ll run and they’ll pull in their driveway and they think, oh I made it, and then all of the sudden three or four police cars are surrounding their house instantly, because the helicopter’s putting out that information.”
Missouri lawmakers moved to increase the penalties for fleeing from police a couple of years ago. Legislators approve Valentine’s Law, putting sharper teeth into state law.
Luster says drivers who fled from police during the recent saturation efforts found out how sharp those teeth were.
“They’re learning this is a really serious charge and there’s no I can just go get probation for this anymore. You have to do those 12 months,” Luster says. “And that’s a giant deterrent that says, for Missouri, we’re taking this seriously.”
You can follow Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ