New laws are created every day. Legislators create laws to keep people safe, enact taxes and make lives better. Sometimes laws which are created are not looked at again for many years, even though they may have become antiquated due to advances in technology, safety or increase in population. So how does a community learn when it’s time to update local ordinances to better serve a community?
Recently a municipality reached out to the Illinois Truck Enforcement Association to ask for help with their local ordinances pertaining to trucks. As with many laws in Illinois, their ordinances had never been updated to meet the needs of the trucking community or the people they serve. As a result, a ticket was issued which caused a stir on social media, bringing negative attention to the community.
If this was a “choose your own adventure” scenario, the decision could be either continue writing tickets the same way (the wrong way), or reach out to leaders in the law enforcement community to figure out how to do things better.
The organization in this fable chose the second path (the right way). This police department contacted the ITEA for help in making their ordinances fit the community.
An effective ordinance in one town may not be so in the neighboring town. This does not mean there isn’t a solution, only that the solution may need to be achieved differently. By changing the ordinances to meet the needs for the surrounding area is better than using a blanket ordinance for all laws involving trucks.
A partnership was born and the ITEA and this police department will begin to work on revising their local ordinances to best fit the needs of the trucking industry operating in their town. By updating their local laws, the streets can be made safer for the community because the industry will have a clear understanding of how to make safe passage through the town.
These are the partnerships which make the Illinois Truck Enforcement Association an important piece of the puzzle for both police agencies and the trucking industry. Together, the ITEA and industry can make Illinois a truck friendly state while still creating a safe environment for residents.
