To the Editor:
One week ago today (Nov. 18), I was almost in an automobile accident with a Middle Township police cruiser. It was 5 p.m. and one of the police cruisers, with lights on, but no siren, driving north on Route 9, flew through the intersection at Main Street and Route 9 in Whitesboro at about 60 miles per hour and almost broadsided our car.
We had the green light and had started to make a left-hand turn when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the police car flying towards us.
By the grace of God, I was able to brake fast enough not to be broadsided. Had the cruiser hit us, I am sure both myself and my passenger would have sustained critical injuries if we had not died at the scene.
This experience had us shaking for hours. I was so upset that when I arrived home, I called the police dispatcher and wanted to speak to the supervisor on duty.
The dispatcher listened to my story and assured me she would have the shift supervisor call me back when he arrived back at the station. That was seven days ago.
After not receiving a call from the supervisor on duty that evening, I sent a letter to the chief of police. Again, I went over what had occurred. Well, like the supervisor on duty that night, I have not received any response from the chief of police, either. It’s been seven days and counting.
The pure indifference of both the supervisor on duty 5 p.m. Nov. 12, and now the chief of police, who has had my letter over four days with no response, is absolutely incredulous.
The officer driving the car Nov. 12 was reckless in the operation of that car, and the supervisor that night and now the actual chief of police remain silent seven days later is just unacceptable.
We count on the police department to keep us safe, not almost kill us with their reckless driving, and then, when brought to the attention of those in management positions, go silent. This is not the type of policing we deserve.
It cannot be swept under the table because the officer was on an active call. It does not matter if the officer was on a call or not, he almost killed us and maybe himself, and that should be addressed.
Since both the shift supervisor that evening and the chief of police seem to want to remain silent on one of their subordinate’s actions, I now take it to the public to remain vigilant when driving in Middle Township because this same thing could happen to you.
ED. NOTE: The above incident is under investigation, according to Middle Township Police Chief Christopher Leusner. “We have left Ms. Christy messages starting Nov. 19,” he wrote, in a Facebook message to the Herald.
