Dear Citizens and Guests, Here is an update on some serious and important issues. I have spoken with other law enforcement officials in the area and just returned from training in Austin, Texas with many other law enforcement officials. There is a big increase in the amount of youths who are sharing extremely inappropriate images or videos of themselves to other youths or people they believe to be youths. These incidents have been carried out through various forms of social media especially emails and text messages. There are many predators out there just looking for naïve youths to prey on. As we speak with our children about the upcoming school year, this may be a topic that needs to be addressed (age appropriate of course). Ignoring it doesn’t make the problem go away and actually assists the predators in their quest. Open lines of communication and trust are great tools in prevention. While on this topic, it is worth mentioning to our youths that there are certain items that are not to be displayed on social media. Youths who are excited about their class schedule, sporting schedule, when they will be home (especially if alone due to parents working late), their new driver’s license that contains personal information, any bank information, work schedules and etc. There are plenty of cyber stalkers that look for this information and use it to defraud or do worse things to people. Please take precautions. The new school year is just around the corner and we are once again asking parents, teachers, faculty and anyone else who traverses our streets to take some time and plan out the first week of school. There will be an abundance of traffic due to parents wanting to drop off their children personally the first week and others attempting to work out a route or routes that fit their needs for the number of children they have. The HPD is asking for patience and understanding during the times before and after school traffic hours. If you notice any areas of concern or danger, please contact HCSO at 903-923-4000 so that dispatch can contact us over the radio and we can respond immediately. Please be aware that any issues on school property or directly related to school functions or practices fall under the jurisdiction of the HISD PD which is its own entity. If there are issues in the parking lots or in and around the campuses, please call HCSO at 903-923-4000 and inform them that you need an HISD PD officer to respond. The HPD and HISD PD will continue to work together to provide the best possible service to all. The other issue that I want to bring to your attention is the new law that takes effect on September 1, 2013. It’s commonly known as the “Move Over Law” that basically states that when an emergency vehicle or tow truck is in operation with its lights activated on the side of the road, you are required by law to vacate that lane of travel or slow down to 20 miles under the speed limit. (The actual verbatim Traffic Code follows). On September 1, 2013, this law will now include school buses and TxDot workers. I will provide an update when the new Traffic Code verbiage comes out so that you will have the actual statute to reference. Here is the current statute: § 545.157. PASSING AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLE. (a) On approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle using visual signals that meet the requirements of Sections 547.305 and 547.702, an operator, unless otherwise directed by a police officer, shall: (1) vacate the lane closest to the emergency vehicle when driving on a highway with two or more lanes traveling in the direction of the emergency vehicle; or (2) slow to a speed not to exceed: (A) 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit when the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour or more; or (B) five miles per hour when the posted speed limit is less than 25 miles per hour. (b) A violation of this section is: (1) a misdemeanor punishable under Section 542.401; (2) a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500 if the violation results in property damage; or (3) a Class B misdemeanor if the violation results in bodily injury. (c) If conduct constituting an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under another section of this code or the Penal Code, the actor may be prosecuted under either section or under both sections. Thank you for your assistance and support. We look forward to having a fantastic year. Please check out the new City of Hallsville Website at cityofhallsvilletx It will have important and pertinent information for our Hallsville Community. There is a newsletter and updates from all divisions of the City of Hallsville. You can continue to follow the HPD on our facebook page and the City of Hallsville on their facebook page.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 22:22:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015