Full Version: ted miller
seen a good one this weekend sitting on a bench out side jenifers restaurant. saw ted sitting in his car watching traffic. along come's this pickup truck pulling a camper trailer. he stops for the stop sign wait's 5 seconds then goes and next thing i see is ted going after him. i wounder what the ticket was for?
Could be anything. Did he have the correct mirrors? Mud flaps? Was he wearing something ted didn't like? Wrong color vehicle? I thought he was retiring. We are planning to go up to IP with our Harleys in August. You know, just to ride the area, and see it from a different perspective in the full on green mode of summer. Maybe spend a couple of days. Now, our bikes' exhausts aren't stock, if you know what I mean. Hows the king of dickheads when it comes to motorcycles with less than stock exhaust systems rolling through town? Anybody have good or bad experience with this? Or should we just stay the hell away from IP with those?
QUOTE(catrrider600 @ Jun 19 2007, 12:45 PM) 
Could be anything. Did he have the correct mirrors? Mud flaps? Was he wearing something ted didn't like? Wrong color vehicle? I thought he was retiring. We are planning to go up to IP with our Harleys in August. You know, just to ride the area, and see it from a different perspective in the full on green mode of summer. Maybe spend a couple of days. Now, our bikes' exhausts aren't stock, if you know what I mean. Hows the king of dickheads when it comes to motorcycles with less than stock exhaust systems rolling through town? Anybody have good or bad experience with this? Or should we just stay the hell away from IP with those?
I have never heard of him really bothering bikes I live in Derby and ride thru IP once in awhile on my WR450 which is road legal and has never even looked at me and its not quiet. But I would not put anything past the prick. hes stopped me 2x before in the past for different things. I Dont even go into that town anymore on sled unless I absolutly have to for gas or something like that.
He'll give ANYBODY a ticket for ANY reason.
Check out this ongoing complaint thread:
http://www.topix.net/forum/city/burlington...9KJ8S82JNRN/p16
Check out this ongoing complaint thread:
http://www.topix.net/forum/city/burlington...9KJ8S82JNRN/p16
I am surprised that someone hasn't sniped him out yet or put a contract out on him yet.
The local paper said Teddy is now being required to letter up his car.
When does he retire??? Heard he was gonna.
QUOTE(catrrider600 @ Jul 24 2007, 02:59 PM)
When does he retire??? Heard he was gonna.
He'll retire when Brighton puts up a set of lights at the notorious stop sign....
and when he die's, there's gonna be the ghost of Teddy Miller.....
Our grandchildren will be talking about the "Legend of Teddy Miller" Known by all snowmobilers in the US of A.....Voted in by the locals to keep the nasty hoodlums out, but in the end he made Island Pond a ghost town....
QUOTE(GaderX @ Jul 24 2007, 10:18 AM)
The local paper said Teddy is now being required to letter up his car.
DO YOU RECALL WHAT PAPER THAT WAS IN???
The Chronicle I believe. It was a few weeks ago...
good story in last weeks Chronicle about petty teddy ill see if i can find it and post.
Island Pond’s blue light district [ story from the chronicle barton vt ]
Editors,
At night in Montreal most of the action takes place on St. Catherine Street. They call it the “Red Light District.” In the afternoons and evenings in Island Pond most of the action takes place at the corner of Main and Cross streets. They call it the “Blue Light District,” since Constable Teddy Miller’s blue light is on most of the time. The Blue Light District functions much the same as the Red Light District. First you get [screwed] and then you pay out a lot of money.
I live “away” but I grew up in Island Pond. When I return to visit family and friends I witness the relentless pursuit of Constable Miller’s justice. He stays on the good side of the voters in order to have free reign to write tickets to nonlocals, the unsuspecting. He knows whom to ticket and who to give a pass to. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” Translation, don’t upset the voters that will allow him to keep his job. Bottom line is he writes TOO MANY tickets. He ties up valuable resources by using the Derby police dispatch a disproportionate amount of the time. And, he negatively impacts local commerce.
In 2006 Constable Miller stopped 2,886 vehicles for traffic violations and issued 1,224 tickets and 1,662 warnings. His rate of tickets written to overall stops was 42.5 percent. By comparison, the city where I live, Lebanon, New Hampshire, for the same year made 6,803 motor vehicle stops resulting in 779 tickets and 6,024 warnings. The percentage of tickets written to vehicles stopped was 11 percent with 89 percent of traffic stops resulting in warnings. In a city with a population of 13,470 a total of 779 tickets were issued at a per capita rate of less than 6 percent. In the town of Brighton that includes the village of Island Pond, with a population of 1,260, for the same period 1,224 tickets were issued for a per capita rate of ticketing of 97 percent. Constable Miller wrote the equivalent of one ticket for every man, woman, and child that lives in town; more than 16 times as many traffic tickets per capita than were written in Lebanon, New Hampshire, for the same period. With 25 patrol officers in Lebanon, Constable Miller single-handedly wrote 57 percent more traffic tickets than their entire department. Maybe the Lebanon police department has more important things to do. While each officer averages 31 tickets per year Teddy writes his regular quota of 1,200 to 1,300 tickets, year in and year out. He is a virtual Army-of-One. I vote to send him to Iraq to clean up its lawlessness.
Ask yourself this. As a resident of Island Pond do you sleep better knowing that Teddy wrote ten traffic tickets yesterday? Do you sleep better still knowing he wrote 15 tickets today? If so, you will get an especially good night’s sleep on a holiday when he might write as many as 20 tickets, or more.
Don’t get me wrong. When Constable Miller writes a traffic ticket he is working within the law. He has been challenged in court many times and has probably never lost based on a legal challenge. He videotapes everything. He is always in the right. But there is a difference between being right and being righteous. Teddy Miller is RIGHTEOUS. And petty. I call him PETTY TEDDY.
Would it be better if Constable Miller approached his job as a civil servant with emphasis on SERVANT? How may I serve? How may I help? Is writing endless tickets from a stationary position in an unmarked vehicle serving the public interest? Are residents safer at the end of the day because a dozen more drivers were written up for rolling stops?
A couple of years ago the country/pop artists the Dixie Chicks were shunned by much of the music industry when they stated that they were embarrassed to be from the same state of Texas as President Bush because of his hard-headedness that got us into the mess we are in in Iraq and are still mired in four and a half years later. I am equally embarrassed to say that I was born and raised in the same town as Constable Miller.
The idea has been voted down at least once, but the town should adopt a program whereby the position of constable is a hired position, employment at will and not a political position. My guess is that there is a young officer that would love to build a career, a life and a family in the Northeast Kingdom. A professional who would come without the political baggage, bias and pettiness that Teddy Miller has built his career around. If the select board had the authority to hire and fire for the position, then most of the politics would be removed from the job. The new person in the position would be an employee of the town and would execute duties as laid out in a job description, subject to an annual review.
When I attended Brighton Elementary School in seventh and eighth grades, Teddy Miller attended Brighton High School, shortly before North Country Union High School came into being. I was good enough to play concert snare drum in the high school band next to Teddy who was an excellent drummer. I looked up to Teddy as a role model. I respected him.
I no longer respect Teddy Miller. He is little more than the school bully. He goes unchallenged, standing in the middle of the schoolyard, picking on those that can’t defend themselves as he hides behind his badge and the law, doling out his pettiness in the pretense of serving and protecting the community; at the same time hurting local businesses.
In the meantime, the annual alumni banquet is August 4 this year and Labor Day weekend will soon follow. You can bet that Teddy will be there for both events. You just won’t see him. Not until the blue light goes on.
Recently a friend was describing to me that every morning he watches from his kitchen window as a fat spider climbs onto its web and retrieves its prey. He could have been describing Teddy Miller. Constable Miller is an overweight, over zealous police officer who gives the law enforcement profession, and more importantly, Island Pond a bad name. Is this the best Island Pond can do?
Dana Seguin
Lebanon, New Hampshire
Editors,
At night in Montreal most of the action takes place on St. Catherine Street. They call it the “Red Light District.” In the afternoons and evenings in Island Pond most of the action takes place at the corner of Main and Cross streets. They call it the “Blue Light District,” since Constable Teddy Miller’s blue light is on most of the time. The Blue Light District functions much the same as the Red Light District. First you get [screwed] and then you pay out a lot of money.
I live “away” but I grew up in Island Pond. When I return to visit family and friends I witness the relentless pursuit of Constable Miller’s justice. He stays on the good side of the voters in order to have free reign to write tickets to nonlocals, the unsuspecting. He knows whom to ticket and who to give a pass to. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” Translation, don’t upset the voters that will allow him to keep his job. Bottom line is he writes TOO MANY tickets. He ties up valuable resources by using the Derby police dispatch a disproportionate amount of the time. And, he negatively impacts local commerce.
In 2006 Constable Miller stopped 2,886 vehicles for traffic violations and issued 1,224 tickets and 1,662 warnings. His rate of tickets written to overall stops was 42.5 percent. By comparison, the city where I live, Lebanon, New Hampshire, for the same year made 6,803 motor vehicle stops resulting in 779 tickets and 6,024 warnings. The percentage of tickets written to vehicles stopped was 11 percent with 89 percent of traffic stops resulting in warnings. In a city with a population of 13,470 a total of 779 tickets were issued at a per capita rate of less than 6 percent. In the town of Brighton that includes the village of Island Pond, with a population of 1,260, for the same period 1,224 tickets were issued for a per capita rate of ticketing of 97 percent. Constable Miller wrote the equivalent of one ticket for every man, woman, and child that lives in town; more than 16 times as many traffic tickets per capita than were written in Lebanon, New Hampshire, for the same period. With 25 patrol officers in Lebanon, Constable Miller single-handedly wrote 57 percent more traffic tickets than their entire department. Maybe the Lebanon police department has more important things to do. While each officer averages 31 tickets per year Teddy writes his regular quota of 1,200 to 1,300 tickets, year in and year out. He is a virtual Army-of-One. I vote to send him to Iraq to clean up its lawlessness.
Ask yourself this. As a resident of Island Pond do you sleep better knowing that Teddy wrote ten traffic tickets yesterday? Do you sleep better still knowing he wrote 15 tickets today? If so, you will get an especially good night’s sleep on a holiday when he might write as many as 20 tickets, or more.
Don’t get me wrong. When Constable Miller writes a traffic ticket he is working within the law. He has been challenged in court many times and has probably never lost based on a legal challenge. He videotapes everything. He is always in the right. But there is a difference between being right and being righteous. Teddy Miller is RIGHTEOUS. And petty. I call him PETTY TEDDY.
Would it be better if Constable Miller approached his job as a civil servant with emphasis on SERVANT? How may I serve? How may I help? Is writing endless tickets from a stationary position in an unmarked vehicle serving the public interest? Are residents safer at the end of the day because a dozen more drivers were written up for rolling stops?
A couple of years ago the country/pop artists the Dixie Chicks were shunned by much of the music industry when they stated that they were embarrassed to be from the same state of Texas as President Bush because of his hard-headedness that got us into the mess we are in in Iraq and are still mired in four and a half years later. I am equally embarrassed to say that I was born and raised in the same town as Constable Miller.
The idea has been voted down at least once, but the town should adopt a program whereby the position of constable is a hired position, employment at will and not a political position. My guess is that there is a young officer that would love to build a career, a life and a family in the Northeast Kingdom. A professional who would come without the political baggage, bias and pettiness that Teddy Miller has built his career around. If the select board had the authority to hire and fire for the position, then most of the politics would be removed from the job. The new person in the position would be an employee of the town and would execute duties as laid out in a job description, subject to an annual review.
When I attended Brighton Elementary School in seventh and eighth grades, Teddy Miller attended Brighton High School, shortly before North Country Union High School came into being. I was good enough to play concert snare drum in the high school band next to Teddy who was an excellent drummer. I looked up to Teddy as a role model. I respected him.
I no longer respect Teddy Miller. He is little more than the school bully. He goes unchallenged, standing in the middle of the schoolyard, picking on those that can’t defend themselves as he hides behind his badge and the law, doling out his pettiness in the pretense of serving and protecting the community; at the same time hurting local businesses.
In the meantime, the annual alumni banquet is August 4 this year and Labor Day weekend will soon follow. You can bet that Teddy will be there for both events. You just won’t see him. Not until the blue light goes on.
Recently a friend was describing to me that every morning he watches from his kitchen window as a fat spider climbs onto its web and retrieves its prey. He could have been describing Teddy Miller. Constable Miller is an overweight, over zealous police officer who gives the law enforcement profession, and more importantly, Island Pond a bad name. Is this the best Island Pond can do?
Dana Seguin
Lebanon, New Hampshire
"Constable Miller is an overweight, over zealous police officer who gives the law enforcement profession, and more importantly, Island Pond a bad name. Is this the best Island Pond can do?"
Unfortunately Island Pond has never tried anything else...
KR
Unfortunately Island Pond has never tried anything else...
KR
Ha ha I have 42.4 acres of land im trying to sell in Island Pond, think of it if you like going to Island pond, you can buy my land, sit in the middle of it and enjoy IP without teddy!
--jacqui
www.waldencountrystore.com
--jacqui
www.waldencountrystore.com
We rode our motorcycles in the NEK over the past weekend, and I see Teddy's house is for sale. Could it be that he really is retiring??? By the way, we were real good at the stop signs. Even put our feet down and stopped for five seconds. He was at his favorite sitting spot over by the Mobil. I just smirked at him as I went by. Did see him with an out-of-stater lit up later on.Teddy on duty. 
I went thur IP four times last weekend and Teddy had someone pulled over 3 of the 4 times.
Teddy is an ass and he's starting to feel the heat eh!!!
http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/loca...story/004e2c8e1
http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/loca...story/004e2c8e1
Why not let the folks know there's more to the story than what's on page 1? Be sure to read the accompanying article on page A7. Seems there's more than one side to most of the stories we seem to be reading in these blogs. Doubt he's feeling the heat. The town is attempting to appease some of the motoring public. Is everyone going to blame Ted for Ali's closing this week? Just a couple of reality thoughts.
"He is definitely driving people away," said Danny Dittner, co-owner of the Clyde River Hotel. "There's customers we'll never see again."
Yeah maybe this did have somthing to do with Ali's
Bob Dexter, who owns the town's Irving gas station and the Lakefront Motel, said he's been fighting the battle of Ted Miller for a while.
"It's time for a change," he said.
Dexter discussed a letter written by an out-of-towner by the name of Melvin Perkins who, during a motorcycle trip to the area, said he would never visit Island Pond again due to what he considered to be an unnecessary $199 ticket.
well i think he must be feeling some heat ,heres just two examples of businesses that have the balls to talk to the paper. How many more up that way feel the same, and until things change there gonna lose more folks who just don't want the hassle.
Yeah maybe this did have somthing to do with Ali's
Bob Dexter, who owns the town's Irving gas station and the Lakefront Motel, said he's been fighting the battle of Ted Miller for a while.
"It's time for a change," he said.
Dexter discussed a letter written by an out-of-towner by the name of Melvin Perkins who, during a motorcycle trip to the area, said he would never visit Island Pond again due to what he considered to be an unnecessary $199 ticket.
well i think he must be feeling some heat ,heres just two examples of businesses that have the balls to talk to the paper. How many more up that way feel the same, and until things change there gonna lose more folks who just don't want the hassle.
Come on, quote the staff writer's seperate article. That will provide both sides, not just a complainers.
I've never had a problem with the guy. That being said, his stats are pretty bad and I've seen alot of comments of "I'll never go back there." If even half of these people mean it, money is gone.
Think about this, for those of you defending him: why will ALL these people lie? Cause they got tickets? I got one years ago, didn't make me hate state cops. Face it, SOMETHING is up with this guy.
Think about this, for those of you defending him: why will ALL these people lie? Cause they got tickets? I got one years ago, didn't make me hate state cops. Face it, SOMETHING is up with this guy.
QUOTE(catrrider600 @ Aug 15 2007, 09:51 AM)
We rode our motorcycles in the NEK over the past weekend, and I see Teddy's house is for sale. Could it be that he really is retiring??? By the way, we were real good at the stop signs. Even put our feet down and stopped for five seconds. He was at his favorite sitting spot over by the Mobil. I just smirked at him as I went by. Did see him with an out-of-stater lit up later on.Teddy on duty.
His house is for sale because he cannot afford the taxes,needs to downsize.He's a HUGE loser who is slowly and successfully chasing people away from that area.Between the lack of snow and fat teddy's personal vendetta against out-of-staters, the IP economy will suffer and nothing can convince me otherwise!
Two thumbs up for Bob Dexter and the Clyde river owner for having the balls to standup and two thumbs down for everbody else who keeps their balls in the wife's purse n doesn't speak up!
This guy did some homework...
Bordering on entrapment?
Monday August 20, 2007
To the Editor:
I just paid $199 to the town of Brighton (Island Pond) and joined the swelling ranks of the stop-sign sinners' club of Island Pond. I'm sure officer Theodore Miller was correct in finding that I did not stop as I approached downtown Island Pond going south on 114. Neither myself nor my wife noticed the stop sign, but I don't think that the abundance of visual clutter you find in a village center would be a good defense for not noticing the sign. In fact, we had to return to the scene of the crime to actually make sure there was a stop sign and there was, but we noticed some other things too.
First, there is an abundance of visual clutter as you enter the town. You have commercial and residential buildings with signs that crowd the street. Parking lots merge with highways without delineation. You have two state highways intersecting - some have stop signs, some don't. Also, if you stopped at the stop sign you couldn't see the intersection because of the building on the southeast corner. But there was a stop sign and we both missed it and I paid my fine.
First point, the law:
This issue isn't that simple. A stop sign requires a vehicle to come to a complete stop - no question on that. But, where do you stop? And what signals and markings should help motorists stop? Stop lines are the wide, bright white lines painted on the road surface and are encouraged to be used in conjunction with all stop signs. There are no stop lines on Route 114 south at the stop sign.
There is a stop line on north 114, but not on south 114. So, we have a stop sign, but where do you stop? If you stop behind the stop sign, you can't see into the intersection because of the building on the corner, but if you go forward to see into the intersection, you'll get a ticket. And what if you just don't see the stop sign at all? North 114 has the words "Stop Ahead" painted on the pavement and a clearly marked stop line, but there is nothing going south on 114.
This intersection didn't seem right to me. So, I did some digging. Vermont, like most states, uses the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (FHWA-MUTCD) for signage rules. I contacted Scott Wainwright, an engineer with the FHWA in Washington, D.C., regarding this intersection in Island Pond and got this reply:
Your questions are answered by Section 3B.16 of the MUTCD (http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov). Section 3B.16 states: "Stop lines should be used to indicate the point behind which vehicles are required to stop, in compliance with a STOP (R1-1) sign, traffic control signal, or some other traffic control device, except YIELD signs." This is a guidance ("should") condition and thus is not mandatory. The use of stop lines on stop-sign controlled approaches to intersections is thus a recommended practice but is not required. The use of a stop line on one approach to an intersection does not create any requirement to provide a stop line on another approach to the same intersection or at a different intersection.
As an aside, I would point out that the intersection you describe is apparently controlled in a very unconventional manner, with stop signs controlling traffic on two approaches that are at right angles to each other. This unconventional control may in itself be confusing and unexpected by motorists as well as pedestrians. Add in the insufficient sight distance you describe, and this intersection would seem to be a potential problem. I would urge that a traffic engineering study be conducted at the intersection by an experienced traffic engineer (preferably a certified professional traffic operations engineer) to evaluate the intersection controls and the safety and operational characteristics of the location, and determine what measures, if any, might be justified.
So, although a stop line is not technically required, you can still conclude that this intersection does not comply with federal standards because it should have a stop line. Additionally, the intersection itself is an inherent problem - or potential for many violations or accidents depending on how you view the situation.
Second point, the reality of a small town:
I live in Franconia, which is a community similar to Island Pond. Our town depends on tourists and visitors for its economic health. We expend lots of energy, time and money to attract visitors to our town and hope that they enjoy their visit. We don't have an unmarked police car that hides in a parking lot all day waiting to catch anyone who may not come to a complete stop at our main intersection in town. Our police force has much better things to do. Although we do have many violations at our main intersection of two state highways due to visual clutter, our police force will usually issue a friendly warning. Our tourists will come back for dinner and maybe stay a few days. Our police force does not sit and prey on potential violators in an unmarked car hiding in a parking lot. In fact, we don't even have an unmarked car.
Our visitors will probably return or stay in the area and will probably remember to stop next time. What do you think the impression visitors get of Island Pond?
It's my opinion that officer Miller is real close to entrapment, but not quite there.
Third point, it's a money-maker:
I contacted Bob Greemore of the Judicial Bureau of Vermont. He's the guy in charge of collecting ticket money and remitting it back to the towns. Bob sent me a report of all the remittances to all the Vermont towns for fiscal year 2006. I took all the remittances for the towns in the Northeast Kingdom and compared that to the population of each town.
I was astounded. The average remittance from the state for all towns is $3.20 which means every town gets, on average, $3.20 back from the state for tickets written in their towns. Guess how much the town of Brighton (Island Pond) gets? A whopping $56.52 per person or a total of $71,209. That's almost 18 times more than the average. It's even scarier when you read the town report - apparently they get more ticket money than just from the state - in 2006 the town received $98,207 in ticket revenue and that brings the total to $81.43 per person or more than 25 times the average. Congratulations Brighton!
Does officer Miller really want compliance with the law? If that was the case, wouldn't he be front and center with a marked cruiser reminding people to stop and be safe instead of hiding in an unmarked cruiser in a parking lot? Or is the real intention of officer Miller to make money for the town? But really, this is a question to the town of Brighton: Is the object of Island Pond and the Town of Brighton to enforce the law or wage a campaign of unnecessary harassment? You, the reader, can decide for yourself, but I'm voting with my money - none will be spent anywhere near that town and I encourage every other fair-minded person - whether tourist or local - to avoid doing business in this town until they can put forth a welcoming and friendly attitude.
Sincerely,
James C. Walker
Franconia, N.H.
Bordering on entrapment?
Monday August 20, 2007
To the Editor:
I just paid $199 to the town of Brighton (Island Pond) and joined the swelling ranks of the stop-sign sinners' club of Island Pond. I'm sure officer Theodore Miller was correct in finding that I did not stop as I approached downtown Island Pond going south on 114. Neither myself nor my wife noticed the stop sign, but I don't think that the abundance of visual clutter you find in a village center would be a good defense for not noticing the sign. In fact, we had to return to the scene of the crime to actually make sure there was a stop sign and there was, but we noticed some other things too.
First, there is an abundance of visual clutter as you enter the town. You have commercial and residential buildings with signs that crowd the street. Parking lots merge with highways without delineation. You have two state highways intersecting - some have stop signs, some don't. Also, if you stopped at the stop sign you couldn't see the intersection because of the building on the southeast corner. But there was a stop sign and we both missed it and I paid my fine.
First point, the law:
This issue isn't that simple. A stop sign requires a vehicle to come to a complete stop - no question on that. But, where do you stop? And what signals and markings should help motorists stop? Stop lines are the wide, bright white lines painted on the road surface and are encouraged to be used in conjunction with all stop signs. There are no stop lines on Route 114 south at the stop sign.
There is a stop line on north 114, but not on south 114. So, we have a stop sign, but where do you stop? If you stop behind the stop sign, you can't see into the intersection because of the building on the corner, but if you go forward to see into the intersection, you'll get a ticket. And what if you just don't see the stop sign at all? North 114 has the words "Stop Ahead" painted on the pavement and a clearly marked stop line, but there is nothing going south on 114.
This intersection didn't seem right to me. So, I did some digging. Vermont, like most states, uses the Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (FHWA-MUTCD) for signage rules. I contacted Scott Wainwright, an engineer with the FHWA in Washington, D.C., regarding this intersection in Island Pond and got this reply:
Your questions are answered by Section 3B.16 of the MUTCD (http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov). Section 3B.16 states: "Stop lines should be used to indicate the point behind which vehicles are required to stop, in compliance with a STOP (R1-1) sign, traffic control signal, or some other traffic control device, except YIELD signs." This is a guidance ("should") condition and thus is not mandatory. The use of stop lines on stop-sign controlled approaches to intersections is thus a recommended practice but is not required. The use of a stop line on one approach to an intersection does not create any requirement to provide a stop line on another approach to the same intersection or at a different intersection.
As an aside, I would point out that the intersection you describe is apparently controlled in a very unconventional manner, with stop signs controlling traffic on two approaches that are at right angles to each other. This unconventional control may in itself be confusing and unexpected by motorists as well as pedestrians. Add in the insufficient sight distance you describe, and this intersection would seem to be a potential problem. I would urge that a traffic engineering study be conducted at the intersection by an experienced traffic engineer (preferably a certified professional traffic operations engineer) to evaluate the intersection controls and the safety and operational characteristics of the location, and determine what measures, if any, might be justified.
So, although a stop line is not technically required, you can still conclude that this intersection does not comply with federal standards because it should have a stop line. Additionally, the intersection itself is an inherent problem - or potential for many violations or accidents depending on how you view the situation.
Second point, the reality of a small town:
I live in Franconia, which is a community similar to Island Pond. Our town depends on tourists and visitors for its economic health. We expend lots of energy, time and money to attract visitors to our town and hope that they enjoy their visit. We don't have an unmarked police car that hides in a parking lot all day waiting to catch anyone who may not come to a complete stop at our main intersection in town. Our police force has much better things to do. Although we do have many violations at our main intersection of two state highways due to visual clutter, our police force will usually issue a friendly warning. Our tourists will come back for dinner and maybe stay a few days. Our police force does not sit and prey on potential violators in an unmarked car hiding in a parking lot. In fact, we don't even have an unmarked car.
Our visitors will probably return or stay in the area and will probably remember to stop next time. What do you think the impression visitors get of Island Pond?
It's my opinion that officer Miller is real close to entrapment, but not quite there.
Third point, it's a money-maker:
I contacted Bob Greemore of the Judicial Bureau of Vermont. He's the guy in charge of collecting ticket money and remitting it back to the towns. Bob sent me a report of all the remittances to all the Vermont towns for fiscal year 2006. I took all the remittances for the towns in the Northeast Kingdom and compared that to the population of each town.
I was astounded. The average remittance from the state for all towns is $3.20 which means every town gets, on average, $3.20 back from the state for tickets written in their towns. Guess how much the town of Brighton (Island Pond) gets? A whopping $56.52 per person or a total of $71,209. That's almost 18 times more than the average. It's even scarier when you read the town report - apparently they get more ticket money than just from the state - in 2006 the town received $98,207 in ticket revenue and that brings the total to $81.43 per person or more than 25 times the average. Congratulations Brighton!
Does officer Miller really want compliance with the law? If that was the case, wouldn't he be front and center with a marked cruiser reminding people to stop and be safe instead of hiding in an unmarked cruiser in a parking lot? Or is the real intention of officer Miller to make money for the town? But really, this is a question to the town of Brighton: Is the object of Island Pond and the Town of Brighton to enforce the law or wage a campaign of unnecessary harassment? You, the reader, can decide for yourself, but I'm voting with my money - none will be spent anywhere near that town and I encourage every other fair-minded person - whether tourist or local - to avoid doing business in this town until they can put forth a welcoming and friendly attitude.
Sincerely,
James C. Walker
Franconia, N.H.
Well written and thats all I have to say!!!!!!!
He is obviously a deranged and predatory type cop that gives good ones a bad name.
Im shocked law enforcement folks themselves havent forced him out somehow.
Seems like theres more important issues in any town than gaining piles of fine dollars....like credibility of the enforcers/interperters of the law in the region.
His work with tickets/the public are obviously so far apart from the average traffic cop in his region that he's no more than a farce. What a shame they let it go on.
Even the NBA was now forced to check itself when things didnt add up with an individual of power. Something is fishy.
Mark
Im shocked law enforcement folks themselves havent forced him out somehow.
Seems like theres more important issues in any town than gaining piles of fine dollars....like credibility of the enforcers/interperters of the law in the region.
His work with tickets/the public are obviously so far apart from the average traffic cop in his region that he's no more than a farce. What a shame they let it go on.
Even the NBA was now forced to check itself when things didnt add up with an individual of power. Something is fishy.
Mark
I was up in IP last month with my motorcycle. Needless to say I took it VERY EASY. Didn't even see Teddy. Lucky me.
Tom
Tom
QUOTE(catrrider600 @ Aug 15 2007, 09:51 AM)
We rode our motorcycles in the NEK over the past weekend, and I see Teddy's house is for sale. Could it be that he really is retiring??? By the way, we were real good at the stop signs. Even put our feet down and stopped for five seconds. He was at his favorite sitting spot over by the Mobil. I just smirked at him as I went by. Did see him with an out-of-stater lit up later on.Teddy on duty.
Sorry to disapoint you, he is just moving up the road to pleasant street into his dead mothers house.
i live in vermont, was born in vermont... will never go back thru IP untill that pos is gone. Do us all a favor Teddy , step in front of the next log truck that comes down rt 114 !
Go to IP almost every Friday evening to eat. Never have had a problem with VSP or Ted. Guess I'll keep pressing my luck after all these years.
QUOTE(NEK121328 @ Sep 2 2007, 08:31 AM)
Go to IP almost every Friday evening to eat. Never have had a problem with VSP or Ted. Guess I'll keep pressing my luck after all these years.
Whats the story with ali's just closed for vacation or is shut down for good?
good eats at that place
Ali and the misses have parted coming due to any employee issue. She held the licenses and took them with her so I was told. They are closed as of now. There's no indication of a reopening. Plus, the landlord might be an issue.
We checked out Valentines located between Brighton Chevrolet and the Irving store. It used to be the Cook Shack and is now under new ownership. The seafood buffet was very good. We were told the specials will change by the week. They intend to cater to snowmobiliers which is good to hear.
We checked out Valentines located between Brighton Chevrolet and the Irving store. It used to be the Cook Shack and is now under new ownership. The seafood buffet was very good. We were told the specials will change by the week. They intend to cater to snowmobiliers which is good to hear.
QUOTE(NEK121328 @ Sep 3 2007, 06:23 PM)
Ali and the misses have parted coming due to any employee issue. She held the licenses and took them with her so I was told. They are closed as of now. There's no indication of a reopening. Plus, the landlord might be an issue.
We checked out Valentines located between Brighton Chevrolet and the Irving store. It used to be the Cook Shack and is now under new ownership. The seafood buffet was very good. We were told the specials will change by the week. They intend to cater to snowmobiliers which is good to hear.
We checked out Valentines located between Brighton Chevrolet and the Irving store. It used to be the Cook Shack and is now under new ownership. The seafood buffet was very good. We were told the specials will change by the week. They intend to cater to snowmobiliers which is good to hear.
I was in IP Saturday at Mikes Market and the girl that was working said he was done as of the first of the year. Do not know if that is true or not but it would be a blessing fort the town of IP. Every day he drives someone out of coming back.
I contacted Bob Greemore of the Judicial Bureau of Vermont. He's the guy in charge of collecting ticket money and remitting it back to the towns. Bob sent me a report of all the remittances to all the Vermont towns for fiscal year 2006. I took all the remittances for the towns in the Northeast Kingdom and compared that to the population of each town.
I was astounded. The average remittance from the state for all towns is $3.20 which means every town gets, on average, $3.20 back from the state for tickets written in their towns. Guess how much the town of Brighton (Island Pond) gets? A whopping $56.52 per person or a total of $71,209. That's almost 18 times more than the average. It's even scarier when you read the town report - apparently they get more ticket money than just from the state - in 2006 the town received $98,207 in ticket revenue and that brings the total to $81.43 per person or more than 25 times the average. Congratulations Brighton!
^^^
This is damning evidence. Someone's gonna get an ass reaming. Sounds well deserved.
I was astounded. The average remittance from the state for all towns is $3.20 which means every town gets, on average, $3.20 back from the state for tickets written in their towns. Guess how much the town of Brighton (Island Pond) gets? A whopping $56.52 per person or a total of $71,209. That's almost 18 times more than the average. It's even scarier when you read the town report - apparently they get more ticket money than just from the state - in 2006 the town received $98,207 in ticket revenue and that brings the total to $81.43 per person or more than 25 times the average. Congratulations Brighton!
^^^
This is damning evidence. Someone's gonna get an ass reaming. Sounds well deserved.
QUOTE(NEK121328 @ Sep 3 2007, 05:23 PM)
Ali and the misses have parted coming due to any employee issue. She held the licenses and took them with her so I was told. They are closed as of now. There's no indication of a reopening. Plus, the landlord might be an issue.
We checked out Valentines located between Brighton Chevrolet and the Irving store. It used to be the Cook Shack and is now under new ownership. The seafood buffet was very good. We were told the specials will change by the week. They intend to cater to snowmobiliers which is good to hear.
We checked out Valentines located between Brighton Chevrolet and the Irving store. It used to be the Cook Shack and is now under new ownership. The seafood buffet was very good. We were told the specials will change by the week. They intend to cater to snowmobiliers which is good to hear.
Where'd the waitress that worked there, I forget her name, the one with the short dark hair, where'd she land? She worked at jennfer's before Ali got his own gig going there. Used to like to shoot the sh1t with her when we had breakfast in town. I was up there a few weeks ago, and woke up real hungry one morning, and was goin' to Ali's for a Magog, and he was closed. Miss the place already.
Sounds like you are talking about Becky the Yankee fan. She had been working breakfast and lunch. We were missing her at dinner time. She's probably collecting unemployement. She was a great waitress. Several of the other girls went off to college. That was leaving Ali short staffed. We could see something was going to happen. We are going through Friday evening withdrawals already.
Also, doubt Ted will be leaving as elections are in March. Will have to wait and see......
Regarding the ticket revenue, some judges require the summons to be issued via the town ordinance instead of the state fine. I understand the Brighton stop sign ordinance fine is much higher than the state fine. Gotta thank the rotating judges for that one. One more thing, some VT police departments require their officers to write summons under the town ordinance so the department will receive the larger portion of the fine. I know that from personal experience.
Also, doubt Ted will be leaving as elections are in March. Will have to wait and see......
Regarding the ticket revenue, some judges require the summons to be issued via the town ordinance instead of the state fine. I understand the Brighton stop sign ordinance fine is much higher than the state fine. Gotta thank the rotating judges for that one. One more thing, some VT police departments require their officers to write summons under the town ordinance so the department will receive the larger portion of the fine. I know that from personal experience.
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