SPD sees the good and bad of Cruise

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June 29, 2009

By TRICIA NEAL, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Mon Jun 29, 2009, 08:52 PM EDT

Somerset — Any community event has the potential to create traffic tie-ups, show-offs, and fed-up motorists. But when an event’s focus is hot rod vehicles, you can be sure there will be a commotion on the roadways.

Somernites Cruise rolls into Somerset seven weekends out of each year — giving some residents cause for celebration, and others just one more reason to complain.

Somerset Police officers see the positive and negative sides of the event. While it’s widely known that Somernites Cruise events bring a monthly influx of revenue to Pulaski County, it’s also hard to ignore the fact that the influx of show cars brings booming stereos, squealing tires, and roaring engines to the area.

How do officers handle the hams and traffic jams that come with the “Cruisin’ the Strip” territory?

“We want everyone to have fun and enjoy the evening,” said Somerset Police Department Public Information Officer Det. Shannon Smith. “There are some things you have to tolerate, and some things you need to concentrate your efforts on.”

Police patrol is stepped up in the City of Somerset — both in the downtown “Show and Shine” area and on the U.S. 27 strip — during Somernites Cruise weekends, earning officers some $10,000 per year in overtime pay. (Somernites is held on the fourth weekend of every month from April through October.)

The officers “actively look for” drivers who are committing hazardous moving violations” — such as speeding, running red lights, or following another vehicle too closely, Smith said.

“Those three things cause the most accidents within the city limits,” he added.

With often-times bumper-to-bumper traffic on South U.S. 27 between Ky. 80 and Parker’s Mill Road, speeding is usually not an offense cruisers are able to commit. But there are plenty of other violations that can potentially be committed during Saturday evening cruises — and it’s up to law enforcement to determine when, or how hard, to crack the whip.

“With that much of an influx of people into a community ... you’re going to have a small portion of people who are going to do things they ordinarily might not do — squealing tires or driving recklessly,” Smith said.

Police hope their mere presence will keep most drivers from getting out of line. When they choose to act up anyway, officers must decide how to handle a situation made more difficult by a traffic jam.

“We don’t overlook (traffic violations), but we do prioritize what is serious enough to fight our way through traffic to take care of,” Smith said.

“Blatant disregard for their own safety or for the safety of others will not be overlooked, but with minor infractions, we have to look at what we can effectively get to and put a stop to.”

Smith said most drivers caught running red lights during Cruise weekends are doing so “out of frustration.” When an individual has waited through several traffic light changes to get through an intersection, he or she might slip under a red light simply to avoid waiting even longer.

“They may be late (passing under the red light), but they didn’t run through it at high speed,” Smith explained, adding that the circumstances could mean the difference between a warning and a citation.

What about the tire burnouts that are sure to be heard at any given moment during Somernites events?

“They’re kind of the nature of the beast,” Smith admitted.

Officers often base their response — or lack of response — on the amount of rubber burned during a tire-squealing incident.

Did those tires let out what Smith calls a “small bark?” Officers aren’t likely to carve their way through traffic to issue a citation.

“With some others, you wonder if they still have rubber on their tires,” Smith said. In those cases, or if the burnout caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle, officers might find it worth their while to put a stop to the activity.

Smith says officers have very few problems with Somernites drivers playing their music too loudly.

“Loud music and hot rods go hand in hand,” Smith noted, “but most people are respectful. If they see an officer, they’ll turn it down.”

Overall, Somerset Police officers have had few problems with Somernites cruisers.

“It’s usually relatively smooth,” Smith said of the monthly event. “The biggest thing is the impact it has on traffic flow. ...

“We deal with it. Somernites Cruise is a benefit to everybody, and we only have to deal with it for a few hours each month.”

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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