Greensburg using mannequin patrolmen
By
Paul Peirce
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday,
March 29, 2003
probably can get away with calling
this policeman a dummy and not suffer any repercussions.
Police Chief Walter J. "Wally" Lyons, however, doubts that motorists will be troublesome in the presence of this officer.
On Friday, city police unveiled its new traffic safety weapon: a rubber mannequin outfitted in police uniform sitting in the driver's seat of a marked patrol car. The car will be parked near various traffic trouble spots in the city and is aimed at getting motorists to obey traffic safety laws, according to Lyons.
Yesterday, "Officer Dummy" was parked near the
corner of Meadowbrook Avenue and McLaughlin Drive near Nicely Elementary School,
where the city has received many complaints about speeding motorists.
"When I was walking away after Capt. (George) Seranko and I set it up in the
cruiser with its sunglasses on and a uniform, I couldn't tell it wasn't real, so
I don't know how motorists will," Lyons said.
Utilization of the mannequin, dubbed "Operation Don't Be a Dummy," was authorized by Mayor Karl Eisaman, Lyons said, adding that since motorists are more apt to obey traffic regulations in the presence of a policeman, they decided to give the faux patrolman method a try.
"It will be showing up at other locations all over the city ... school zones, state routes, intersections where we've had complaints about people not stopping for stop signs. Sometimes the cruiser will be manned by a mannequin and sometimes it will be a live officer," Lyons said.
"The whole basis for it is trying to have motorists comply with traffic regulations," he said.