<strong>Ashland</strong> <strong>Police</strong> <strong>Department</strong>Field OperationsThe majority of time whenyou pick up your phone to call9-1-1 asking a dispatcher fora police response, you will begreeted by a member of the FieldOperations Division. Consistingof 36 members, Field Operationsis the largest division within thepolice department. This divisionis divided into two (2) platoons;day shift, consisting of two teamsworking from 0700 to 1900 hrs andmidnight shift, also consisting oftwo (2) teams who work from 1900to 0700 hrs. Field Operations serveas first responders to emergencyand non-emergency calls forservice 24 hours a day, 365 days ayear.Partnerships with our citizensare vital to the success of anypolice agency. The <strong>Ashland</strong> <strong>Police</strong><strong>Department</strong> relies on your eyesand ears to <strong>report</strong> suspiciousactivity to 9-1-1. Remember, ifit doesn’t look right or soundright, it’s probably a good idea tocontact the police to <strong>report</strong> thesuspicious activity. Observingthis suspicious activity from asafe distance and taking note ofphysical descriptions of suspects,such as their race, height, weight,and a clothing description, can aidlaw enforcement responding tothe scene of a crime. It is also vitalto obtain a direction of flight ifthey leave the scene, and a vehicledescription, if applicable.In addition to deterring theopportunity for crimes to becommitted, a major task of theField Operations is traffic safety/enforcement. This past year, wepartnered with the KentuckyOffice of Highway Safety inworking federal overtime throughvarious traffic safety campaigns.Each spring, we join forces withlaw enforcement across thenation with the “Click It or Ticket”campaign. Studies prove that yourchances of surviving a car crashare increased dramatically whenwearing a seat belt. As the catchphrase goes…..”It’s Quick, It’s easy,and it’s the Law”! APD also gearsthis traffic grant towards impaireddriving enforcement. “Drive Soberor Get Pulled Over” focuses effortson identifying and apprehendingimpaired drivers.We also focus on educatingour young drivers of theimportance of using their seat beltEACH time they get behind thewheel. This past August, the schoolyear was just beginning when wepartnered with the Kentucky Officeof Highway Safety to bring theRollover Simulator to students atPaul Blazer High School. Studentssaw firsthand the affects of anunrestrained occupant of a motorvehicle in a rollover crash. They gotto see physics in motion, it wasn’ta matter of will the crash dummybe ejected, but how quickly itwas going to be ejected. If notproperly restrained, your chancesof ejection increase with eachrollover. Many occupants are killedwhen they are ejected with theirvehicle rolling over them.
According to the KentuckyOffice of Highway Safety, driverinattention is the leading factorin most crashes and near-crashes.Based on these findings nearly 80% of all crashes and 65 % of nearcrashesinvolved some form ofdriver inattention within 3 secondsbefore the event. Primary causes ofdriver inattention are distractingactivities, such as adjusting theradio, talking to passengers, eatingand drinking, talking on cell phone,and sending text messages.According to preliminary datain Kentucky during <strong>2012</strong>, therewere more than 53,000 collisionswhere driver distraction was notedas a factor. These crashes resulted inmore than 14,500 injuries and 169fatalities. These numbers accountfor 41% of the total injuries and23% of the total fatalities occurringon Kentucky’s roadways last year.This is down from 25% of the totalfatalities during 2011.Its evident traffic safety ismajor focus for Field Operations.Through these enforcementefforts, the ultimate goal is tosee a reduction in the number ofcar crashes we investigate. Andthrough these efforts, we AREseeing a reduction in the numberof crashes in our community.Major Mark McDowellField Operations CommanderSo many peopleand families are affectedby a fatal traffic collisionhereare fatal collisionsummaries fromKentucky for the past 10years:2002- 9152003- 9312004- 9642005- 9852006- 9132007- 8642008- 8262009- 7912010- 7602011- 721<strong>2012</strong>- 744Source: Kentucky Officeof Highway SafetyWhile these statsare on the decline, ourefforts of reduction mustcontinue. The <strong>Ashland</strong><strong>Police</strong> <strong>Department</strong>will continue to makeenforcement efforts apriority to make ourcommunity safer for allto enjoy.
Change language