It's that time of the year again. Soon, your little and not-so-little ones will be outside early in the morning, looking for that familiar yellow school bus to come rolling around the corner. Proudly doting their brand new sneakers and backpacks, children pile in and await a new and exciting day at their respective schools. It's back-to-school time!
With the new school year comes one of your police department's most important roles: protecting your children. This is a privilege that we take very seriously. We are happy to announce that we will once again be conducting OPERATION SAFESTOP, a community program designed to make your child's bus stops safer.
Through the program, residents are encouraged to nominate their child's bus stop by sending an email to Investigator Peter Nickischer at pnickischer@blrpd.org. Once nominated, your child's bus stop will be added to a list of rotating stops that are monitored by patrol officers in marked (police car with exterior lights and decals) and unmarked police cars, as well as officers on foot. Officers committed to this program are instructed to:
1) Ensure the safety of children and parents at every stop.
2) Monitor the stop for school bus flashing red light violators.
3) Cite and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.
This year, it is our goal to the increase our presence at our nominated stops to the fullest extent possible. In addition, we choose to make ourselves available to you so that you can stay informed. Have a question about a recent crime event in the township? Have a suggestion for the new Upper Macungie Township Police Department? We want to hear your thoughts and questions.
To nominate your school bus stop, please follow these directions:
1) Email BLRPD Investigator Peter Nickischer at pnickischer@blrpd.org.
2) Include your child's bus stop location (specific addresses with street names).
3) Include specific times for your child's stop. Failure to provide this information will result in your child's stop being excluded.
At this time, this service is only available to those who live within the jurisdiction of the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department. We typically receive numerous requests in other jurisdictions, but do not have the authority to enforce traffic laws if the stop is not in Upper Macungie.
Thank you to all of those who have shared positive feedback about OPERATION SAFESTOP in the past. We welcome any and all feedback and are looking forward to another successful and most importantly, SAFE school year.
