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CLOUDY Temp: 76 °F Wind: NW at 6 mph Thursday, June 27, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend June 18, 2002 Photo radar van snaps a biggie: patrol division boss By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Zipping along South Holly Street on May 28 in his white Pontiac, Tim George didn’t see the little orange sign warning that he was headed for a new kind of Medford speed trap. George noticed the white van with the radar gun and the large speed sign just as he drove into range of Medford police’s newest traffic-enforcement device — the roving photo-radar van. "I saw them take my picture, said George, 46, of Medford. "I knew they had me." Just 15 minutes into its first shift nabbing speeders, the radar van had its first victim — Lt. Tim George, commander of the Medford Police Department’s patrol division. One of Medford’s tops cops will get his citation this week for traveling 38 mph in a 25-mph zone, proving not only that the van works but also that it doesn’t look the other way for the men in blue. "I should have slowed down, but hey, you get caught, you get caught," George said. "But the worst part now is that everybody knows." The van and red-light cameras at two busy intersections anchor a new $200,000 program to get Medford drivers to slow down. The van, with an officer inside, parks on a residential street and signs are placed 100 feet on each side. A radar gun logs speeds of passing vehicles, and the speeds are listed on a read-out board. Those traveling over a pre-set limit have their pictures snapped, and $109 tickets are sent to registered owners. In George’s case, the camera caught him at 3:45 p.m. in his unmarked patrol car but not responding to a call, he said. The ticket was sent to the city of Medford, which notified George. "I haven’t seen my citation yet, but I hear it’s coming my way," George said. George said this will be his first traffic ticket in 30 years of driving, and a check of state crime records shows he has a clean record. "If our people go through, they get a citation," Deputy Chief Ron Norris said. "Nobody’s exempt from this." And that includes a worried Norris himself. "I haven’t gotten one — yet," Norris said. "I started this program, and you watch. I’ll get one." Norris said he intends to ask the Medford City Council on July 3 to extend the program from low-volume residential streets to busy thoroughfares plagued with speeders. Streets such as Central Avenue, Court Street and Riverside Avenue could be next for the radar truck, Norris said. As for George, he pledges to pay his fine and complete traffic school to clear his record. He intends to keep it that way. "I have learned my lesson — slow down," George said. "I don’t hurry anymore." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S