Ensuring pedestrian safety can be controversial
What makes a law such a bitter pill to swallow sometimes? The very same offense that I find unacceptable from my neighbor can be inconsequential when applied to my daughter. I wonder why that is?
This week found us knee-deep in controversy with the enforcement efforts focusing on crosswalk safety. Most of us have heard the almost daily reports of the deaths of pedestrians on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas and various other roads in the Las Vegas Valley.
We’ve all had occasion to park in a convenient place, eat and spot a cute little shopping place across the street. Then starts the dilemma. Do I get in the car and drive six blocks out of my way just to make a left turn into their parking lot or do I work off a little of those lunch calories and stroll across the street? Experience has told me — more than once — that it is probably safer just to suit up in that steel machine and burn the extra fuel. The focus of Joining Forces this week highlighted a few issues with the safety of pedestrians when crossing busy roadways. No one likes a ticket and almost no one likes to be told that their behavior needs to be changed but the officers this time found that most motorists believe that pedestrians should learn the art of “dodge and duck.”
The facts are that the officers are not afforded the luxury to determine the “focus” of their enforcement efforts for these events and the laws are valid and on the books for everyone’s safety. Various agencies bind together to ensure maximum visibility and effectiveness for these events.
As an added note: Both the local newspaper and online formats announced this event, in detail, over a week before it happened.
June 2. Theft: The landlords do a walk-through after the tenants move and discover the storage building in the back left with them at 10 a.m. in the 700 block of Kendall Lane.
Drunk: The caller reports the woman down the middle of the street seems intoxicated and she is now taking a nap, face down, on the sidewalk at 10:10 p.m.
Thought for the day: Those face-plants can be hard on the dental work.
June 3. Animal: The turtle from the pond is trying to make a break for it using the slow lane; however, the officer intercepts and provides relocation services at 9:44 a.m. in the area of Clubhouse Drive and Buchanan Boulevard.
Accident: Multiple agencies involved in this rolling accident at 11:33 p.m. in the area of Buchanan and Adams boulevards.
Thought for the day: The “accident buck” stops here.
June 4. Disturbance: The facility asks for assistance when the elderly woman won’t believe they don’t rent by the night at 1:22 p.m. in the 600 block of Adams Boulevard.
Larceny: Officers receive two reports in an hour of thefts from the same business at 3:59 p.m. in the 1000 block of Nevada Way.
Thought for the day: Several thousand dollars of goods are walking out the door. It might just be time for a little cowboy patrol by store security.
June 5. Auto theft: The woman states she loaned her vehicle, but he is not returning it at 2:38 a.m. in the 1300 block of Darlene Way.
Juvenile disturbance: Several juveniles are spotted on the roof of the school at 5:42 a.m. in the 1100 block of Fifth Street.
Thought for the day: Here’s an old cowboy truth: Don’t loan your money, horse (vehicle) or your spouse unless you can afford to lose them.
June 6. Suspicious: The homeowner sees suspicious activity but the cat owner says that the crafty feline keeps escaping custody at 2:08 a.m. in the 600 block of Del Prado Drive.
Trespass: The tenacious senior citizen is insistent that she wants to live there and won’t take no for an answer at 7:35 a.m. in the 600 block of Adams Boulevard.
Thought for the day: At a time when most are trying to escape care centers it’s refreshing to see the opposite.
June 7. Disturbance: The cement mixer wake-up call is not well received at 5:02 a.m. in the area of Avenue K and Eighth Street.
Welfare check: Motorists are concerned for a woman wandering around in the median at 2:56 p.m. in the area of mile marker 11 on U.S. Highway 93.
Thought for the day: The case of toilet paper being strewn about by passing motorists is more than some people can ignore. Have you seen the prices out there?
June 8. Suspended: The suspended registration, license and lack of insurance make for a hefty citation, impound of the vehicle and ride back home at 9:19 a.m. in the 1200 block of Nevada Highway.
Suspicious vehicle: The caller is concerned that the wallet left in plain view on the front seat may be an invitation for a future crime but the owner is nowhere to be found at 10:22 p.m. in the 1900 block of Buchanan Boulevard.
Thought for the day: Think ahead, folks. The damage done to the vehicle is often more than the value of what was taken.
Call of the week: Civil: The caller states that she left the home over a year ago and now wants to go collect her belongings. It’s not surprising that the other half isn’t receptive at 12:19 p.m. on June 5 in the 600 block of Avenue M.
Note: Several sets of keys have been turned in to dispatch after being found in local roadways. Those remotes aren’t cheap, so if you’re missing yours, come by and describe them and we may just have good news for you.
Tina Ransom is a dispatcher with Boulder City Police Department. She is coordinator of the Boulder City Citizen’s Academy.
