Police presence changes driver behavior

I was heading northbound on John Wayne Parkway a few weeks back and the light near Wells Fargo turned yellow. Admittedly, if I was anywhere but Maricopa I would have pressed the pedal on the right and easily cruised through the intersection beating the red light. Instead, I slammed on my brakes. Amazingly, the vehicle on my right – which was a full car-length ahead of me – did the same.

I don’t know what was going through the other driver’s mind, but I had a little birdie named Chief Melvin whispering “Cruise 35” in my ear.

I’ve long questioned the rationale of having a police force significantly larger than what is typical for a city our size. That concern struck me like a blindside Adrian Wilson sack when I drove home late one night recently and noted that of the 11 vehicles I saw on my 2½-mile commute, five were cops. Is that overkill? Seems like it, but I’m not the public safety expert.

Regardless of the related expense to taxpayers, the Maricopa Police Department’s presence has had a real impact on behavior. And there’s more than anecdotal evidence to support that.

According to police and Pinal County Sheriff’s Office records, in the 18 months prior to Maricopa PD taking over the streets from the sheriff’s office full time on July 1, 2007, there were three fatal auto accidents on John Wayne Parkway – two at the entrance to Rancho El Dorado and Cobblestone Farms communities and one at Edison Road. In the 18 months following, there were no fatal accidents on John Wayne Parkway, nor has there been one in 2009.

Politics and budgets aside, I’m incredibly grateful that our streets are safer and that we don’t have to read – or write – about fatal accidents like we have in years past.