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<br />Councilmember Dehen stated that in the information he has read, multiple offenders are the <br />problem and wondered why the City doesn't focus on ignition locks for multiple offenders to <br />make sure they cannot drive. <br /> <br />Mr. O'Brien stated that almost 75% are first time offenders. He stated that there are 3 counties <br />that are experimenting with the ignition locks, however, they are not having a lot of success in <br />getting cooperation. He stated that some other programs across the country have worked well, <br />but noted that it is a very expensive program. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dehen asked if there had been any thought to having devices in bars for people <br />to use as they are leaving. <br /> <br />Mr. O'Brien stated that the problem with this is that blood alcohol levels don't peak until 2 hours <br />after you stop drinking. He stated that he would just rather send the message not to drink and <br />drive. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated that he would like to be confident in knowing the reason for pulling <br />people over and noted the a seat belt is not a primary offense. He asked if officers had a quota <br />related to the number of people they have to ticket. <br /> <br />Mr. O'Brien stated that they do not have a quota and they do not require officers to make stops, <br />but they do expect them to go out and work. He stated that at the end of the project, they do take <br />a look at the numbers and ideally, they would like them to be the same as the State average, <br />which is 2.3 contacts, not tags, per hour. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look asked how officers can pull someone over ifthey aren't swerving. <br /> <br />Mr. O'Brien stated that there are many things such as: speed; no signaling; illegal lane changes; <br />inattentive driving; driving without headlights or broken taillights. He stated that there aren't <br />just one or two reasons to pull someone over. <br /> <br />Councilmember Look stated that he doesn't want Ramsey residents being pulled over for no <br />reason other than to see if they are wearing their seat belt. He stated that he isn't necessarily <br />opposed to the project, but he was led to believe that there were a certain number of stops that <br />needed to be made. <br /> <br />Mr. O'Brien reiterated that they do not tell the officers how many citations to write. <br /> <br />Councilmember Strommen stated that she commutes 32 miles one way to work which means she <br />spends 2 hours a day on the road. She stated that she can't say the number of times she has <br />wished there would be a police officer around to see what the drivers are doing. She stated that <br />she believes there would be a lot of residents grateful for extra patrol hours. <br /> <br />Councilmember Jeffrey stated that he has heard comments from residents, especially those who <br />live near the school, that would like to see additional patrolling, especially when it comes to kids <br />and safety. <br /> <br />City Council / August 26, 2008 <br />Page 10 of 15 <br />