Lincoln police checking for seat belt use

LINCOLN – Two days into their efforts as part of a national “Click It or Ticket” campaign, Lincoln police had stopped 42 vehicles but cited only three drivers for failing to wear seat belts, police Chief Hank Dusenbery said Friday.

“It appears that the majority of the driving public is complying with the law,” Dusenbery said Friday.

The campaign runs May 22-June 4. Dusenberry did not have the number of stops or tickets issued on Thursday.

Thanks to a $2,000 federal grant administered by the state, Lincoln police will have 12 single-officer details working six-hour shifts enforcing seat belt regulations and other motor vehicle laws, Dusenberry said. The shifts will concentrate on the town’s high-traffic areas.

Click It or Ticket involves 77 law enforcement agencies in Maine, including the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department, which is planning eight enforcement details during the two weeks.

Maine is one of about 25 states where seat belt enforcement is not a primary reason for enforcement, meaning officers can’t stop motorists for not wearing a safety belt.

Instead, authorities in Maine are stopping motorists for traffic or motor vehicle violations, such as speeding, expired inspection sticker, or a taillight that is out, and then checking for seat belt compliance, as well as motorists driving under the influence of intoxicants.

Lincoln police also will be stepping up other enforcement efforts. Next week, officers will begin their bicycle patrols of the downtown area, Dusenberry said.

Officers will ride department-issued mountain bikes through downtown and other residential areas. The bicycles allow officers to get into areas motorized vehicles cannot easily access, such as sidewalks, pathways, woods, town parks and alleys.

Officers gain stealth on bicycles, and the bicycles allow officers to interact more with residents, Dusenbery said.

“Some of the guys get carried away,” Dusenbery said wryly. “They are supposed to patrol the downtown and its residential areas, but they end up all the way out by the high school checking on things.”

At 33 Reed Drive, Mattanawcook Academy is more than a mile from downtown center.

Still, the patrols pay off. Last year, while on his bicycle, Officer Richard York charged three motorists with operating while under the influence – and only once needed help from a patrol car pulling over the vehicle, Dusenbery said.

York and Sgt. James Slauenwhite are trained bicycle officers, meaning they have completed state Criminal Justice Academy training on bicycle patrols.

Officers Ray Goodspeed and Nelson Grant have done or might also do patrols, Dusenbery said.