Resident Services

Resident Services / Police Services

Meeting the Needs of our Citizens

Police Chief Column
By Police Chief Brian Quinn
As published in the SNP/Arlington News

Although I am almost an 18-year veteran of the Upper Arlington Police Division, as the new Chief of Police I view the community now through a different lens. Approaching my first anniversary in this position, I am more appreciative than ever of the respectful relationship that exists between our residents and public servants. I want to build upon that rapport.

After my first couple months in office, I requested that a survey be conducted for a fresh view of the needs, perceptions and priorities of our community. In early 2006, 118 citizens took time to complete and return the survey, which was mailed to 400 homes. The results confirmed that the citizens of Upper Arlington are eager to be involved and hungry for information. One of the outcomes of the survey, therefore, is this new newspaper column, which I plan to use on a regular basis to address your curiosity about police activity, as well as to help overcome a few misconceptions.

So what did the survey tell us? While it was nice to read about the high ratings given to the Overall Quality of Police Services, a few results were surprising. For example, respondents told us they felt one of the most important jobs of the Police Division is the enforcement of drunk-driving laws, and that more attention should be paid to this issue. In fact, it ranked at the top of the 15 services listed in the survey — ahead of Neighborhood Patrols and Investigation of Child Abuse. Because of this finding, I will use my first UA News column to talk about how involved our division is in arresting drunk drivers.

First, let me give you the facts. Through June of this year, our officers made 92 Driving Under the Influence (DUI) arrests, which is incredibly close to the 94 arrests made in the first six months of 2005. In fact, Upper Arlington ranks fifth in DUI arrests in Franklin County. Considering how relatively few bars and nightclubs we have in our City, we’re proud of how closely we watch for and apprehend impaired drivers.

To help boost our patrolling resources, the division participates in a program called the Franklin County DUI Task Force. We commit to sending officers four times a year to help with DUI checkpoints throughout the county – locations that are identified as problem areas by the Columbus Public Health (CPH). CPH provides the vehicles and other equipment needed at these checkpoints, and we pay overtime for our off-duty officers to participate.

In return, all the overtime dollars we expend are reimbursed by the federal government, PLUS we are granted funds to cover 12-14 extra days of traffic enforcement within Upper Arlington each year. By having these additional officer hours available, we can add patrols in critical areas on days when intoxicated drivers are likely to be a problem. While we are not required to participate in this checkpoint program, I feel it is important for several reasons: to work cooperatively with other agencies in support of regional efforts to curb drunk driving; to give our officers exposure to areas and situations outside our City limits; and to have access to the additional federal funds for enhancing our own patrols.

We, as officers, also appreciate help from citizens who spot impaired drivers. If you observe an erratic driver, take note of the make, model and color of the car, as well as the license plate number (however, we don’t encourage you to get too close to these dangerous drivers just to read their plates – a description and location probably will be enough for us to find them). When you have this information, call our non-emergency police line, which is answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 459-2800. It is important to note that using 9-1-1 from a cell phone may not automatically connect you to the Upper Arlington dispatch room because it depends on where your cellular service provider’s closest tower is located.

Taking drunk drivers off the road will remain an important role of the Police Division. In future articles, I will have the opportunity to address other topics brought to light in the Safety Survey. In the meantime, if you have an issue you would like to read about please call our Community Relations Unit at 583-5195.

Police Division
City of Upper Arlington
3600 Tremont Road
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
Phone: 614-583-5150
www.ua-ohio.net