More issues we face

Welcome once again to the Brazil Police Department's Information blog.

As many of you will no doubt notice, I am not a "Big Time Blogger," what ever that is. You will find as you read my blogs, that I am just a regular guy who works for a living, I do the best I can trying to juggle my job, politics (which is not my strong suit), my family, my friends and my faith.

I am concerned about a vast array of issues we as citizens of Brazil and Clay County face every day. As I blog in the future, I will address some of these issues and hope to get some of your ideas which may help me in addressing some of your concerns as well.

A few things I would like to cover in this edition of my blog are traffic issues (a continuation from earlier) the safety of our children and holiday mischief. Although I spoke of traffic issues in my previous blog, I would like to speak about traffic in a little different capacity, that is as it pertains to the upcoming holiday.

Some concerns about children and traffic issues we'll meet head on in the next few days as we welcome Halloween.

Although trick-or-treating will only be the night of the 31st, there will be community programs going on such as Trunk & Treat on Oct. 29 at Forest Park, as well as the Brazil City Fire Department's Halloween Greeting on the 30.

Children will be out walking the neighborhoods after dark and drivers are asked to take extra precautions.

These are just a few common sense ideas that could keep your children safe during the holiday.

Sometimes children (the young and the young at heart) do not always look before darting from between parked cars or concealed areas of heavy foliage. Sometimes they do not wear bright colored clothing or carry flashlights, so we need to watch a little closer than we may normally watch.

Parents can help by making sure children are accompanied by an adult, making sure they can see clearly through their little masks, wear bright colored clothing or some type of reflective material and walk on sidewalks.

There is also the problem of mischief, that, as neighbors, we can help prevent.

If you should see mischief happening, please notify the police department.

Officers, who will be out patrolling, will appreciate the watchful eyes and help from Brazil 's citizens.

Let's all work together to make this Halloween a safe and enjoyable holiday for all!

Now, let me take a few moments to say thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my first ever blog. I appreciate your comments, (well, most of your comments anyway) and would like to answer some of them.

I am reading your comments and listening to what you have to say. I especially liked the idea of having somebody monitor and help out with traffic on the CB radio during emergency high traffic times (A simple, yet effective idea).

Brazil has some officers who have CB's in their cars and I will get with them on idea. The public might be able to help with this as well.

When high volumes of traffic enter Brazil due to I-70 closing, we do send semi traffic straight through to State Road 46 or SR 231 if possible. A larger problem that needs addressed is when traffic gets off the interstate at either SR 231 or SR 46 and we have traffic coming from 2 directions at once that bottle neck at the intersection of SR 59 and US 40. I am currently working with INDOT and looking into finding a solution for these issues.

Not everybody on this blog will be completely satisfied with how I or any other department head runs their department. The Brazil City Police Department officers and staff will do our best to serve your needs and concerns to the best of our ability.

I will answer questions on this blog that I feel are appropriate for me to answer in this format and some questions I will not answer publicly, as they may either need to be addressed in a different way or not at all.

If you need to voice your opinion to me privately or have a concern that you do not wish to make public, please feel free to e-mail or call me during regular business hours at the Brazil City Police Department.

Until my next blog (Who knows when that will be?), please stay safe and watch out for our children, they are our most precious and valuable resource.

David Archer

Chief of Police

Brazil Police Department

203 E. National Ave.

Brazil, Ind., 47834.

(812) 446-2211

policechief@brazil.in.gov