This Labor Day weekend saw a slight increase in traffic controls by the Geneseo Police Department. According to Eric Osganian, chief of police for the Village of Geneseo, police are generally more visible during holiday weekends.
“New York State encourages all law enforcement agencies to place additional patrols during holiday weekends to enforce impaired driving, since these times usually involve increased travel by motorists,” said Osganian.
“Our traffic arrests seem to be spread out evenly throughout the year,” he said. “We do have a spike in September due to the increased number of residents. Nationally, I believe the Fourth of July is the most dangerous holiday for travel.”
Times when police presence noticeably increases include Columbus Day weekend, National Teen Driver Safety Week in mid-October, the week of Halloween and during the Christmas to New Year’s holiday season.
According to Assistant Chief of University Police Scott Kenney, University Police maintained normal staffing levels throughout Labor Day weekend.
Students have noticed the buildup of police presence around Geneseo.
“I have definitely seen more police cars around campus this weekend, especially around Main Street,” said sophomore Ashley Akin.
“I just feel like they’re becoming stricter in general,” said sophomore Tina Howard, referring to Geneseo and University Police. “I initially thought that there was increased police presence because it’s the start of a new school year, but now I’m thinking that it’s going to be like this all year.”
In order to avoid getting into trouble during times of increased traffic controls, Osganian advised students to “obey the traffic laws, and do not drink and drive.”