Police reimbursed for vehicle inspections

MAT-SU -- Police in Palmer and Wasilla are receiving grant funding from a federal program that encourages commercial-vehicle inspections. The program offers up to $95 each for performing inspections on vehicles such as heavy trucks, buses and other commercial carriers. The grant money comes from federal highway dollars and is a pass-through grant facilitated by the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT). The program requires an officer certified in commercial vehicle inspections to log inspections so the department can bill DOT. Both local police departments participate in the same program.

Patrol officer Bob Dixon is Wasilla's certified commercial-vehicle inspector. Both departments offer courtesy inspections for free by appointment for operators who need them. Dixon said most operators would rather have a courtesy inspection than be pulled over for a roadside inspection.

"I don't write citations on courtesy inspections. When I do roadside inspections, I do write citations," Dixon said.

Palmer Police Chief Russ Boatright said courtesy inspections are especially helpful for vehicles that have been ticketed in the past and need to get back on the road.

The program pays local governments one inspection at a time, according to Dixon, who said there are three levels of inspection that qualify for the grant money. The simplest inspection -- called a level three inspection -- is a check to see if the driver is qualified to operate a commercial vehicle. That includes checking for an appropriate class of commercial driver's license (CDL) and, in the case of some vehicles, a valid medical card. Dixon said the medical card is similar to a pilot's medical certificate -- it ensures the driver doesn't have a medical condition that could impair or interrupt his or her work at the wheel.

"Obviously with a commercial vehicle, those problems could be compounded," Dixon said.

A level two inspection can be performed on the roadside and requires the officer to check the vehicle "top-side" and the driver's licensing. At level one, Dixon said he would likely have the truck pulled off into a parking lot and give it a mechanical once-over that could take up to 90 minutes.

That could be inconvenient for the driver, the vehicle's owner, the passengers, and whoever might be waiting for the vehicle's cargo. Dixon said the department is sensitive to those concerns, which is why inspections by appointment are available. Boatright said his department can handle inspection by appointment, as well.

The departments are paid from $25 to $95 depending on the inspection and grant money available to departments with officers certified by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). The CVSA certifies inspectors and provides inspection standards all over North America, including Canada and Mexico. CVSA inspectors provide window stickers for vehicles that have passed inspections. Transportation authorities can also request CVSA-certified officers to look for a particular problem on a specific model of bus or truck -- Dixon said that would work sort of like a recall, only it would be government orchestrated.

"Supposedly, we're all working off the same sheet of music," Dixon said.

Dixon said he is expected to perform 32 inspections this year in order to maintain his CVSA certification, which prompted the Frontiersman to ask a question that has been around since police officers started carrying pads of blank traffic tickets.

Do cops have quotas to fill?

"My standard response to that is 'No, I can write as many as I want,'" Dixon said. Dixon said he prefers to call the goal a minimum requirement rather than a quota. The purpose of the CVSA minimum requirement is to maintain the level of experience among inspectors.

"It's a mandatory minimum so that I can keep my sharpness," he said.