There are four public schools in Oakwood, one elementary on the west side of Far Hills Avenue and an elementary, junior high and high school on the east side. Oakwood is a walking community in every respect. Given the small geographic size of the community and short distances to each of the four schools, Oakwood does not operate a school busing system. Hundreds of Oakwood students in grades 1-12 cross Far Hills Avenue daily as they travel to and from school, play in and around our community, go home for lunch, and socialize with friends. The unique characteristics of our community demand regular and focused attention on traffic enforcement.

THE REPORT

From a data analysis perspective, the ABLE report is seriously flawed in several ways, rendering it inconclusive at best or invalid at worst. The primary flaws are:

1)
The report focuses on a comparison, by race, of traffic citations. It presents a breakdown by race of persons receiving traffic citations, yet does not provide a breakdown by race of persons driving through the community, as this information is unknown and unknowable. The report also does not present a breakdown by race of persons that are driving through the community with suspended drivers licenses, outdated vehicle registrations, active warrants or in stolen vehicles. During our subsequent discussions with the authors of the report, they acknowledged this lack of significant key data.
2)
The report directly compares the city of Oakwood with the city of Kettering, yet the two communities are very different. Oakwood is about 2 square miles, almost entirely residential, and with one major thoroughfare bisecting it. Kettering is a mixed use community of about 18 square miles with a roadway network much more expansive than Oakwood. Like for Oakwood, the report provides no data on the breakdown by race of persons driving on the various Kettering streets, nor does it address differences in Oakwood and Kettering traffic enforcement priorities.
LICENSE PLATE CHECKS

An important tool used by the Oakwood Public Safety Department, and by police departments throughout Ohio and nationwide, is license plate checks, whether officer initiated or via automatic license plate readers. This tool is used to locate persons with active warrants for arrest and stolen vehicles. It also identifies unlicensed and suspended drivers. The ABLE report expresses concerns about the use of license plate checks as a policing tool, despite the fact that it has been upheld as a valid, lawful tool by federal courts, including our own 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. (See United States v. Ellison, 462 F.3d 557 (6th Cir. 2006).) Oakwood finds this tool particularly useful to ensure a safe community. There can be no question that unlicensed, uninsured, or suspended drivers pose a danger to everyone, and there is value in detecting these offenses when they occur.

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