Police - Patrol

Routine patrol includes regular coverage of the entire city for traffic enforcement and as a deterrent against all criminal behavior. Patrol districts are established and patrol officers are assigned to patrol specific areas during their tour of duty. Patrol officers try to cover every part of the city several times a day. They will also watch your property for particular problems if you contact the administration between the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, and request an extra patrol. This would be appropriate if you are going to be out of town more than 24 hours, or if you are having a particular problem, such as concerns that someone may attempt to damage or harm your property.

Extra patrol requests require a few minutes on the phone with a staff member, as there are several pieces of information that are needed.

On July 7, 2008, the Sachse City Council approved an ordinance stating that it is unlawful to drive or operate a motor vehicle in a school zone on official school days during hours when the school zones are in effect while using a hand-held mobile telephone to engage in a call or to create, send or read messages or data. When the school year begins, please be aware and take notice of the new signage announcing this new ordinance. Once signage is in place, the new ordinance will take effect. This is a ticketable offense. Click here to read the ordinance and become familiar with its restrictions.

Sachse City Council recently approved a restricted parking ordinance in the 4300 and 4400 blocks of Haverhill Lane, Briarcrest Lane and Hunters Ridge Drive between the hours of 7:00 am and 3:00 pm on school days. Residents voiced concerns to City Council regarding blocked streets, blocked mailboxes to the point of preventing mail delivery, mailboxes stuffed with student garbage as well as littering and minor vandalism in these areas. Officials considered several solutions before enacting the ordinance. The new parking restrictions will still allow residents access to public street parking in front of their homes in the evenings, on weekends and during the summers. Signs have been posted throughout the neighborhood alerting everyone to the new restrictions. Offenders will be issued warning stickers at first, followed by citations that carry up to a $200 fine.

The Sachse Police Department added a piece of equipment to its arsenal that will help educate drivers and enforce speed laws. The police unveiled a Traffic Display Monitoring device, or a radar trailer, that will enhance speed-limit awareness and promote traffic safety.

Police Chief Dennis Veach states that the radar trailer contains an actual radar unit that measures the speed of oncoming vehicles and displays their speed on large LED panels. The driver may become aware of errors in their speedometer and/or can make adjustments in their driving behavior.

Veach said the unit will be a great benefit because it can be used in school zones and on residential streets for long periods of time and it does slow the traffic down. The trailer's first assignments will be streets where there have been numerous complaints of speeding.

The radar trailer is a capital item approved by the City Council in this year’s budget. It is battery operated, so it does need to be brought in daily for recharging, but also has a solar panel that helps keep it charged during sunlit days. The trailer will work year-round in a wide range of weather conditions.

Not only does the trailer display the speed of the approaching vehicles, it also records the various range of speeds on a data collector. That data can be downloaded and analyzed later for use in traffic studies. As shown in reports from other cities, the trailer will also allow the department to give additional attention to reported problem areas without committing additional manpower.

Sachse Police Department encourages citizens to call in speeding complaints as they have in the past. An officer will be sent or the radar trailer will be set up, whichever is available at the time.

If you have an area of concern and would like to request a location for the trailer, please contact Lt. Marty Cassidy at mcassidy@cityofsachse.com or (972) 495-2271 x204. Requests will be handled on a “first come, first serve” basis as the trailer is available.

The Texas Transportation Code Section enacted in 2003 which protects police officers during traffic stops states the following:

§ 545.157.  PASSING AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLE.

          (A)  On approaching a stationary authorized emergency vehicle using
             visual signals that meet the requirements of Sections 547.305 and

             547.702, an operator, unless otherwise directed by a police officer, 
             shall:

             (1)  vacate the lane closest to the emergency vehicle when

                   driving on a highway with two or more lanes traveling in the

                   direction of the emergency vehicle; or

             (2)  slow to a speed not to exceed:

                   (a)  20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit when

                         the posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour or more; or

                   (b)  five miles per hour when the posted speed limit is less

                         than 25 miles per hour.

          (B)  A violation of this section is:

             (1)  a misdemeanor punishable under Section 542.401;

             (2)  a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $500 if the violation

                   results in property damage;  or

             (3)  a Class B misdemeanor if the violation results in bodily injury.

       (C)  If conduct constituting an offense under this section also constitutes

             an offense under another section of this code or the Penal Code, the

             actor may be prosecuted under either section or under both sections.

Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., Ch. 327, § 2, effective Sept. 1, 2003.

THIS IS A ZERO TOLERANCE TRAFFIC LAW IN THE CITY OF SACHSE. THE SAFETY OF OUR POLICE OFFICERS, FIREMEN, EMTs AND PARAMEDICS IS PARAMOUNT.

A DIRECT LINK TO THIS LAW IS FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING:
http://tlo2.tlc.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/TN/content/htm/tn.007.00.000545.00.htm#545.157.00

The Sachse Police Department would like to inform residents that it is against the law to proceed around a barricade placed in the roadway to prevent vehicles from driving into high water. Below is the excerpt from the Traffic Code which addresses this issue:

(A) A person commits an offense if the person:

(1) Disobeys the instructions, signals, warnings, or markings of a warning sign; or

(D) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $1.00 or more than $200.00, except that:

(2) if a person commits an offense under Subsection (a) where a warning sign or barricade has been placed because water is over any portion of a road, street, or highway, the offense is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in county jail and a $2,000.00 fine.

(a) placed on or across a road, street, or highway of this state by the department, a political subdivision of this state, or a contractor or subcontractor constructing or repairing the road, street, or highway under authorization of the department or a political subdivision of this state; and

(b) placed to prevent the passage of motor vehicles over the road, street, or highway during construction, repair, or dangerous conditions.

(3) "Warning sign" means a signal, marking, or device placed on a barricade or on a road, street, or highway during construction, repair, or dangerous conditions by the department, a political subdivision of this state, or a contractor or subcontractor to warn or regulate motor vehicular traffic. The term includes a flagger deployed on a road, street, or highway by the department, a political subdivision of this state, or a contractor or subcontractor to direct traffic around or on the road, street, or highway during construction, repair, or dangerous conditions.

(F) Articles 45.051 and 45.0511, Code of Criminal Procedure, do not apply to an offense under this section committed in a construction or maintenance work zone when workers are present.

A high number of traffic accidents and complaints at intersections on Highway 78 prompted a review of the Texas Traffic Code. The Texas Traffic Code covers entering, stopping and right-of-way laws. Here is a synopsis of the law:

When a driver leaves a stop sign, yield sign or red light, they must only do so when they can enter the intersection without causing a collision. If a driver is stopped at a stop sign, the driver must yield right-of-way to all cross traffic and/or traffic turning left that does not have a stop sign.

Any driver who leaves a stop sign or yield sign must only enter an intersection when they can proceed completely through the intersection without stopping, except to avoid a collision. With that stated, if a vehicle enters the intersection and stops to avoid a collision, that should tell all other drivers behind that vehicle that the intersection is not safe to enter.

(a) An operator approaching an intersection:
      (1) shall stop, yield, and grant immediate use of the intersection:
            (A) in obedience to an official traffic-control device, including a stop
                 sign or yield right-of-way sign; or
            (B) if a traffic-control signal is present but does not display an
                 indication in any of the signal heads; and
      (2) after stopping, may proceed when the intersection can be safely
            entered without interference or collision with traffic using a
            different street or roadway.

(b) An operator on a single-lane or two-lane street or roadway who
      approaches an intersection that is not controlled by an official traffic-
      control device and that is located on a divided highway or on a street
      or roadway divided into three or more marked traffic lanes:
      (1) shall stop, yield, and grant immediate use of the intersection to a
            vehicle on the other street or roadway that is within the intersection
            or approaching the intersection in such proximity as to be a hazard;
            and
      (2) after stopping, may proceed when the intersection can be safely
            entered without interference or collision with traffic using a different
            street or roadway.

(f) An operator who is required by this section to stop and yield the right-of-
way at an intersection to another vehicle and who is involved in a
collision or interferes with other traffic at the intersection to whom right-
of-way is to be given is presumed not to have yielded the right-of-way.

(a) Preferential right-of-way at an intersection may be indicated by a stop
sign or yield sign as authorized in Section 544.003.

(b) Unless directed to proceed by a police officer or official traffic-control
device, an operator approaching an intersection on a roadway controlled
by a stop sign, after stopping as required by Section 544.010, shall yield
the right-of-way to a vehicle that has entered the intersection from
another highway or that is approaching so closely as to be an immediate
hazard to the operator’s movement in or across the intersection.

(c) An operator approaching an intersection on a roadway controlled by a
yield sign shall:
(1) slow to a speed that is reasonable under the existing conditions;
        and
(2) yield the right-of-way to a vehicle in the intersection or approaching
        on another highway so closely as to be an immediate hazard to the
        operator’s movement in or across the intersection.

(d) If an operator is required by Subsection (c) to yield and is involved in a
collision with a vehicle in an intersection after the operator drove past a
yield sign without stopping, the collision is prima facie evidence that the
operator failed to yield the right-of-way.

(a) An operator may not stop, stand, or park a vehicle:
      (1) on the roadway side of a vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or
           curb of a street;
      (2) on a sidewalk;
      (3) in an intersection;
      (4) on a crosswalk;
      (5) between a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet of a
            place on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone,
            unless the governing body of a municipality designates a different
            length by signs or markings;
      (6) alongside or opposite a street excavation or obstruction if stopping,
            standing, or parking the vehicle would obstruct traffic;
      (7) on a bridge or other elevated structure on a highway or in a
            highway tunnel;
      (8) on a railroad track; or
      (9) where an official sign prohibits stopping.

Please be cautious along Highway 78 when attempting to cross oncoming lanes of traffic.

The Sachse Police Department's bike patrol unit is utilized for special events and to patrol areas that are typically difficult for squad cars to access, such as residential and construction areas in an effort to reduce and detect crime in these areas. The bicycle patrol unit has also proven to be a useful safety education tool as the officers present classes and demonstrations on bicycle safety to various community organizations and schools.

The motorcycle patrol unit is a specially-skilled unit whose primary function is traffic enforcement with the added responsibility of accident investigation. Officers qualify through a basic motorcycle officer school, train bi-monthly and re-qualify annually. Motorcycle officers are also fully trained accident investigators. Accident Investigation Officers investigate fatal or potentially fatal traffic collisions and follow up on hit-and-run accidents. This unit is staffed by a combination of Motorcycle Officers and those who work full-time as Patrol Officers and respond as needed to serious collisions. All are specially trained to evaluate the different forces and reactions associated with collisions.

Both the bike patrol and motorcycle unit have increased positive interaction between citizens and the officers, as well as being a great crime deterrent. If you have any questions or would like for the officers to give a bike safety program to your group, please give the Sachse Police Department a call at 972.495.2271.

You need to be aware that the City of Sachse has a juvenile curfew for minors under the age of 17. Curfew hours are 11 pm to 6 am Sunday thru Thursday; 12:01 am to 6 am Saturday and Sunday. Minors found to be in violation of the curfew may be issued a citation. According to Section 12-1 of the Sachse Code, anyone under 17 years old commits an offense if they are "about or upon any public place or in the premises of any establishment within the city during curfew hours." Also, the park curfew as stated in Section 7-2 of the Sachse Code "persons shall not be allowed in, on, about or around a public park and/or facility between 11:30 pm to 6 am on weeknights and 12 midnight to 6 am on weekends. No exceptions shall be allowed without written permission from the Parks and Recreation Commission." The curfews are included in the City of Sachse Code Book, which may be viewed at City Hall or at the library.

The Graduated Driver License Program creates two phases of driving requirements for minors under age 18:

Applicants under age 18 must hold an instruction permit or hardship license for a minimum of 6 months before a provisional license is issued. Once the applicant has completed this phase and meets all other current licensing requirements, they "graduate" to phase two - a provisional license with restrictions.

The minimum age for the licensed operator required to accompany an instruction permit holder in the front passenger seat raises from 18 to 21.

Street enforcement will begin in a limited fashion January 1, but only for permits issued after January 1st. Initially, the permit will be stamped to better assist patrol officers in determining if the new 21-or-over provision for licensees accompanying permit holders applies. This will eventually be replaced by language on the permit itself. If the permit does not specify the 21-or-over provision, the old standard of 18-or-over will still apply and enforcement action may not be applicable.

Once the applicant has held a driving permit for 6 months, completes an approved driver education course and reaches their 16th birthday, they are eligible to progress to phase two - a provisional license, where driving privileges are restricted for the first 6 months. During that 6-month period, the applicant may not:

> have more than one passenger under 21 years of age who is not a family member in the vehicle, or

> operate a vehicle after midnight and before 5 a.m., unless driving is necessary for employment, school, or school-related activities or a medical emergency.

Please note that the passenger and time limitations in phase two do not apply if the provisional license holder is accompanied by a licensed operator age 21 or older in the front seat.

Officers must look on the back of the license to determine if enforcement is appropriate. The language under the restriction code will state "TRC 545.424 applies until MMDDYY." If that date has passed or there is no entry, enforcement action is NOT necessary.

Law enforcement officers cannot use this law as probable cause for a traffic stop.

The legal driving age in Texas remains 16. An applicant may still apply for an instruction permit at 15.