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From the desk of Chief Tim Duriso:  On behalf of my entire department we would like to wish everyone a safe & Happy 4th of July celebration this coming Saturday. We are encouraging motorists to be responsible and to drive sober or find a designated driver.  Our police officers will be out in force looking for impaired drivers during this 4th of July holiday weekend.  Lastly I’d like to speak to you about the ignition of fireworks within the city limits of Port Arthur. The ignition or popping of fireworks are illegal in the city of Port Arthur, even the mere possession of fireworks in the city of Port Arthur is prohibited. Remember fireworks sound very similar to guns being shot, so please adhere to the law and keep fireworks and the ignition of fireworks out of Port Arthur. Inexperienced pyrotechnics normally bring about 13,000 injured persons to the emergency room needing care from misuse of fireworks annually and the 4th of July holiday accounts for 2/3rds of those injuries. We strive hard to beautify our community and those who ignite fireworks leave behind a mess of debris. Let’s strive to make this holiday one to remember not from a tragedy but by spreading joy and happiness. If none of this stops violators, maybe the fact that if you are found guilty for the ignition or possession (remaining fireworks will be confiscated) of fireworks in the municipal court of the city of Port Arthur the fine starts at $500. Celebrating by firing a weapon into the air or ground is also illegal in Port Arthur and dangerous. Be safe and enjoy.

 

Jimmy from Port Arthur asks- Officer Antoine is it illegal for me to tint the front windshield of my truck in Texas?

 

Answer- Good question Jimmy. Several officers of the Port Arthur Police Dept. have already addressed and cited motorists on this issue on tinting the front windshield within the city of Port Arthur. Jimmy, this practice of tinting the front windshield in the state of Texas is totally illegal. You must leave the front windshield like it came from the factory, absolutely no level of additional tint is permitted for the front windshield below the AS1 line in the state of Texas. AS 1 on vehicles means that it is the clearest form of glass made for motor vehicles. AS 2 and AS 3 means there is tint in the glass. Jimmy no tinting below the AS 1 line.

 

Eva from Port Arthur asks- Officer Antoine I was involved in a wreck in a parking lot, and the driver who hit me said he called police and he said the police department told him the police wasn’t going to respond. I had an old injury re- aggravated during the wreck, but since the police weren’t coming I just went home and self medicated. Officer Antoine why don’t police even show up for private property wrecks?

 

Answer- Good question Eva. First I’m sorry to hear of your unfortunate crash on private property. Ma’am I’m not quite sure where you got your information from or even if the correct response was given to you, because the Port Arthur Police Department responds to private property crashes daily. Now Eva it’s true that police officers in the great state of Texas don’t routinely complete a crash report that occurred on private property. But Eva in your case where an injury resulted from the crash police officers are supposed to complete a crash report even on private property if someone was injured. It doesn’t matter the severity of the injury at the time of the crash, if anyone involved in the crash tells the investigating officer that they sustained an injury from the crash that officer will complete the crash report. Sounds like you should have called the police department as well.

 

Victor from Nederland asks- Officer Antoine thanks for this column you write weekly.  I really don’t have a problem with being caught by a police officer for breaking a law while driving, but why do police officers have to hide in order to catch someone? Why can’t officers just be in plain sight to catch someone instead of hiding? I’ve even seen officers on the side of the road at night with their vehicle lights off, in an attempt to catch speeders I assume. Is there a course that officers must take in the academy that specializes in hiding to stop violators?

 

Answer- Good question Victor. Hiding….this is one of those questions that’s never going to die. Victor, as you have asked, I’ve heard it a thousand times before, why do police hide to catch violators? Well Victor to be transparent, there are times where police officers don’t need their presence to be publicly known so they can observe violations, as many citizens report them. When we receive a complaint about speeders in neighborhoods, or a certain street, the violation occurred without police presence, and if you put a marked police unit with a police officer inside the violations would stop. So in order to observe the violators in their normal driving behavior, we like to not be readily visible. There are many instances where officers need to be undercover in order to suppress crimes and I guess that’s a form of hiding too. Police officers are allowed to have darker tint than other vehicles on the road, well that’s a form of hiding as well. So Victor, I guess we should have a class specializing in this in the academy, but I’ll assure you at this point we do not (LOL). Hiding in law enforcement is vital, whether it’s for officer safety reasons or to observe violations, because most won’t drive the same way when they see a marked police vehicle next to them. Victor, consider this, if you’re not committing a crime, a police officer “hiding” should not be a problem to you, because they are looking for someone breaking the law.

 

Join Me, Officer Antoine and the CREW Stephen “Buzzard Boots” Mosley, Lelo “mouth of Hwy 69/73” I Washington & Tejas “Lil Man”Morning Star for Ask A Cop live, on KSAP 96.9 FM The Breeze radio station, every Tuesday for at least 2 hours from 1to 3 p.m. and beyond. Tune in and listen as Officer Antoine discusses in detail the newly released “Ask A Cop” article that’s printed in The News. You can also tune in via internet at www.ksapthebreeze.org. Feel free to call in and ask your question live to Officer Antoine at (409) 982-0247. Feel free to email your questions to rickey.antoine@portarthurtx.gov, or call 409-983-8673 and leave a voice mail question, or mail them to: Ofc. Rickey Antoine, 645 4th St., Port Arthur, Texas, 77640. If you happen to see me in public you can feel free and comfortable to approach and “Ask A Cop.”