With arrival of warmer weather, Town of Niagara PD asks for cooperation in keeping community safe

Guest Editorial by Town of Niagara Police Department Chief Craig Guiliani

As warm temperatures arrive, and we all begin to adventure outside after a long, cold winter, I want to remind residents of a few things that became issues last summer.

Certain areas of the town had several ongoing complaints of minibikes driving in the roadways. Not only was this illegal, but it is extremely dangerous for the children on minibikes and for the law-abiding public driving their vehicles. Some of these kids have driven into oncoming traffic, disobeying the stop signs themselves, almost causing a fatal accident.

The kids on the minibikes have fled from the police and think this is some sort of game. It won’t be a game when I must come to a parent’s home and tell them their child was killed because they were driving one of these machines recklessly and illegally and were struck by a vehicle that couldn’t see them. Not only does that affect the family and friends of the injured or deceased operator, but the driver who struck them also must live with that potentially horrible incident.

I am imploring the parents/guardians of these kids to make their child understand the implications of their actions. I grew up on ATVs and dirt bikes myself. We have always had to find a place to ride. But the street was never an option. I have directed our officers to issue the local law violations for riding these machines on the roadway, along with any vehicle and traffic law violations that are warranted. If the operator is under 16, then the parent or guardian will be issued the appropriate paperwork.

I will remind you: The town created a local law allowing the courts to set a fine of $2,500 for the initial offense, along with any tow bills incurred.

Our department has been busy training three new officers in the last three months, and they will be fully deployed to our streets in May, which means we are fully staffed again. We will be scheduling another officer on the afternoon shift from 6 p.m. until 4 a.m., along with a midnight car. This will help the midnight car with coverage of neighborhoods, which tend to see a rise in car break-ins and vandalism when school is out. This should also be a reminder to always remove valuables from your vehicles and lock them at night.

We have also deployed a traffic car to help with speeding and traffic issues with Packard Road prior to Amazon opening. We are trying to stay ahead of any complaints but, should you see anything or have other concerns, please feel free to call my office or email me.

We are an extremely busy department with a very busy business corridor in Military Road, but sometimes that keeps us out of the neighborhoods. But one of my main goals, as chief, is to continue the longstanding practice of side street patrols in all our neighborhoods. I want our officers to interact with our youth and develop a trusting relationship. I am asking for parents/guardians to help us accomplish that.

Have a great summer.