THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay Police are happy to report another successful December. TBPS report, “Last January, the Thunder Bay Police Traffic unit was able to report a fatal collision-free month of December, the first in recent memory. We’ve done it again, hopefully”.
There was a collision between a transit bus and a pedestrian on the 12th of December that may still change that statement. Thunder Bay Police and all residents are hopeful for a full recovery of the involved pedestrian.
Double Double Equals Trouble
Some people were not all that bright. Thunder Bay Police officers who were in the process of setting up a road stop very close to a drive-through restaurant were alerted by the staff of a driver at the window that they believed ought to be checked. When the officer approached the car, the driver was found to be passed out with the car running at the window.
When woken by the officer, the young man repeatedly tried to pay the officer for his order. The driver needed to be forcibly removed from the vehicle when being arrested, according to Police.
Thunder Bay Police share another ‘war story’; “One driver who was found to be suspended during a trip through the check-point was reminded of that fact by the same officer at a stop at the exact same location one week later. The officer remarked that he believed it was the exact same tow truck driver that removed the vehicle as well”.
Police officers noticed that it appeared that there were plenty of pajama clad drivers doing the pick-up and delivery routine.
Twenty-one drivers were charged with impaired driving/ drive over .08, or failing to provide samples of breath during the month of December. Again this year, just about half of that number, twelve, was as the result of the annual R.I.D.E program. That number is consistent with previous years.
Police were likely a bit less conspicuous this year, moving away from the large road-block style settings on major arteries and focusing a bit more on the less traveled and rural roads.
Neighbourhoods began to see R.I.D.E programs that targeted party goers that have become very adept at eluding police in previous years. Social media is a recent phenomenon that can easily assist those who are intent on obstructing police efforts to detect impaired drivers. New techniques and approaches were introduced to make the R.I.D.E program, first introduced in 1980, more current, relevant and cost effective.
The extreme cold weather this year made the R.I.D.E program a real challenge for those officers detailed to it. Traffic levels were notably down during that weather and it was very much quieter on New Year’s Eve. The R.I.D.E officers were re-assigned at 2 a.m. to cold weather related calls to ensure the safety of those who might be out in the elements
