Fargo police motorcycle (KFGO file photo)
FARGO (KFGO PRAIRIE PUBLIC BROADCASTING) – With the legislative session over, Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski said he’s pleased that lawmakers gave law enforcement the power to cite the owner of a vehicle that flees even if officers cannot prove they were the driver.
Zibolski said last year, about 300 drivers fled from Fargo police and were not pursued because of public safety concerns.
“This bill provides a penalty for the owner, essentially for us to follow up with them, here’s what happened, we’re wondering who was driving your car during this timeframe, they can refuse to tell us and they’ll receive a fine, and second offense is a higher level fine, however, they can cooperate with us and then we can pursue that investigation like we would any other investigation,” Zibolski said.
Fleeing, speeding and street racing have become significant issues in Fargo and elsewhere in North Dakota in recent years. Fargo police reactivated the traffic enforcement unit last fall after a shortage of officers forced the department to suspend its work in 2016. Federal grant money assisted the department in bringing back the traffic unit.
“These aren’t felony vehicles or armed robbery suspects, these are just traffic stops.” Zibolski explained. “That number last year was just shy of 300 and it tripled over a five-year period, it just continues to increase even today with our traffic safety folks,” Zibolski said.
Zibolski said the legislature also approved a bill that he supported which expands the time a person can be placed on a mental health-hold for evaluation from 24 to 72 hours.
Zibolski’s comments came Tuesday morning during The Chamber’s “Pulse Crime: Safety, Perception and Business Impact” event.
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