Upland is looking to move from cars to all SUVs for law enforcement in the city of Upland, Police Marshal James Cassidy said at the Upland Town Council meeting, April 15.
The Upland Police Department’s 2014 Chevy Impala was “on the way out,” Cassidy said. The police have one car and three SUVs on the force, and are looking to transition to an all-SUV unit once the Impala is replaced. The police were hoping to upgrade to a newer vehicle in the near future.
Casssidy said Upland has had a few car break-ins over the last few months, specifically occurring over Taylor University’s spring break. He suspected that the culprits chose their targets based on cars left unlocked as the vehicles stolen from showed no signs of damage or forced entry.
“If you lock things up, they’ll (robbers) usually move on,” Cassidy said. “Lock your things up, that’s the best advice I can give.”
During public comment, Upland resident Dave Smith asked questions about a traffic study the city of Upland has been running.
Town Manager Jonathan Perez answered Smith’s questions.
Upland is considering adjusting the speed limit of South 8th Street, which is 30 miles per hour, to 25 miles per hour if there is a low rate of traffic. 8th Street runs in a north-south direction from State Route 22 to County Road 700 and sits west of Upland Community Church, Eastbrook Elementary School and ends behind Taylor Lake.
The traffic study will evaluate how many vehicles come down 8th Street. The goal is to determine whether the traffic comes from Taylor University students or Upland residents driving to places like Walnut Creek Market or Best-One Tire.
“By (meaning) the extra traffic, we need to figure out how much actual traffic is consistently going down 8th Street, not something that’s coming in just for a day or two,” Shawn Sizemore, town council president, said.
The traffic study began in early April and will conclude after Taylor University’s graduation and commencement so the numbers are not inflated by short-stay visitors. If there is a low rate of traffic, the city council may decide to lower the speed limit.
The next Upland Town Council meeting will take place on May 6 at 6:30 pm at the Upland Town Hall.
