Reardan council notes and December police report

REARDAN—Police chief Andy Manke shared a police activity report for December at council’s Jan. 7 meeting. If one got pulled over in town for a traffic infraction, statistically there was about a 1 in 3 chance they wouldn’t get off without a ticket in the town with a restaurant titled “Speed Trap.”

73 traffic stops occurred, with 46 verbal warnings given and 27 traffic infraction tickets disbursed. Manke gave 10 tickets, as did reserve officer Chris Stein. Reserve officer Bryan Gordon handed out six tickets, while new reserve officer Mike Grow had one.

12 criminal traffic stops were made, all for driving with a suspended license. Six were issued by Manke, four by Stein and two were issued by Gordon. One felony filing and three felony warrant arrests were made.

Four sewer hookup violations and one dog-at-large complaint occurred under ordinance enforcement. Three of the sewer hookup violators unhooked voluntarily, while one didn’t. Council said they would say “no” if that violator applied for a variance, and cited if caught continuing to violate the ordinance.

Manke also informed council of a $2,500 grant the department received from the Spokane Tribe, which he said is already being put to use on new equipment. Grow, meanwhile, continues to be trained before going out to patrol on his own.

Elsewhere in a rather uneventful council meeting, Mayor Gail Daniels said the readerboard the town is constructing in partnership with the school district and several other partners will hopefully be ready by spring.

The town was informed that they can’t force people to move out of campers parked on properties illegally because of COVID-19 restrictions on evictions, but can start enforcing those ordinances when those restrictions are lifted.