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Letter to the Editor,
This letter is in response to recent articles written in the Glenville Pathfinder. Let me start by saying that Burnsville is not a cash strapped town, but operates in the black and has for many years.
Also, let me clarify the Mayor and Recorder's salary. They are not getting a raise "by" $2,000.00, rather a raise to $2,000.00, which will become effective July 1st, 2011 and may or may not benefit the current elected officials as there will be a Municipal Election in June. I don't think anyone can complain or criticize a public official for making a sum total of $2,000.00 for a year's work.
Another item written in Mr. Corcoran's editorial was the average citation amount of $175.00. The amount breaks down as follows: $100.00 fine & $75.00 court cost (court cost is mandatory per State Code).
To be clear, Burnsville does not retain this full amount. On every citation written for a moving violation, $60.00 is sent to the State of West Virginia for Crime Victim's Compensation Fund, Law Enforcement Training Fund, Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Development Fund, & Criminal Conviction Fees.
Next, the Burnsville Police Department enforces the law as it is supposed to do and does not operate a speed trap.
The Burnsville Police Department does not write citations to people doing less than 10 miles over the speed limit and doesn't hide in the median as it is in plain view in either direction.
Those who are complaining and writing articles needs to come to an accident scene when people are speeding 85-95 mph. and see the end result. Tell the victim's families that their family member has been killed because someone was going too fast and let them ask you why the police didn't do something to make people slow down.
Mr. Corcoran was issued a citation for speeding only after having received a warning first. He was doing 51mph in a 35mph. zone. He implied in his article he understood slowing people down on the interstate because speeding was dangerous, but eluded that it didn't matter within city limits.
I disagree. We have a lot of people who walk, jog, and ride bicycles. I will not sit idly by and watch one of Burnsville's citizens struck by a speeding car.
One more thing: I visited the web site that was mentioned in your article "National Speed Trap Exchange" and every town and city in West Virginia is listed on this site.
(Editor's Note: While many WV towns are listed, certainly not all are)
I randomly clicked on 15 cities and towns and they were all listed as having speed traps including Glenville, Gassaway, & Sutton.
I invite your readers to also go to this website and see for themselves that Burnsville is not being singled out and to imply that it is, is being very misleading.
The police are in a no win situation, but as long as we enforce the law, then we have done our job.
Yes, people will complain and others will praise, but our end goal for people traveling is that they return home safely.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Ball
Chief of Police
Burnsville Police Department
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