St. Thomas Police launches part-time Traffic Unit

Not surprisingly, most St. Thomas residents rank traffic safety as a top priority. The St. Thomas Police Service acknowledges this and through enforcement, education, and partnering with other important road safety partners, we strive to improve the safety of our streets for everyone. Whether it is our members responding to a neighbourhood complaint of speeding or monitoring traffic in a reported trouble spot location, the St. Thomas Police Service is committed to ensuring the safety of all St. Thomas residents and visitors to our City who share our roads and sidewalks.

The St. Thomas Police Service Traffic Unit is part of our Support Services Unit and was formed on October 7, 2010 to manage the ever growing traffic safety needs of St. Thomas. Constable Travis Sandham and Constable Chad Nevill have been dedicated to address traffic concerns and optimize traffic safety. The traffic unit shift hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week and this traffic initiative is expected to run until December. While the St. Thomas Police would like to make this initiative permanent, it is our intention at this time to operate the traffic unit in the fall and spring.

Specific traffic concerns have been identified in St. Thomas through our on-going Traffic Project Program. The primary emphasis of the Traffic Unit is to problem-solve with the community regarding local traffic concerns and to provide general traffic duties including:

• traffic safety education
• investigation of serious personal injury collisions and fail to remain collisions
• traffic safety enforcement programs ( e.g. speeding, seat belts, aggressive drivers)
• enforcement of the Highway Traffic Act and driving complaints
• pedestrian and bicycle safety, local traffic signs, school zone safety
• parades and special events occurring on roadways

St. Thomas Police Traffic officers will occasionally team up with outside agencies such as the London Police Traffic Unit and the OPP for the purpose of road safety campaigns.

For any questions or concerns related to traffic safety, please feel free to contact Staff Sergeant Chris Herridge at (519) 631-1224 x152.