The Antioch Police Department has relaunched its traffic unit and it is currently a one-man team.
“So these marks actually indicate the tire friction mark on the motorcycle when it applied the brakes and that is for a distance of 100 feet,” explained Sgt. Robert Green of the Antioch Police Department.
Green is picking up the pieces after an accident that seriously injured a motorcyclist – who collided with one car before being hit by another that left the scene.
“Randomed the motorcyclist and dragged the motorcyclist,” Green said. “So now I’m trying to find any evidence in cameras or anything else in the area that can help me identify the other vehicle.”
The investigation is now in Sgt. Green’s hands, as he is the only member of the Antioch Police Department’s newly relaunched traffic unit.
“I am responsible for traffic enforcement during the day,” he said. “I plan the overtime. I have to work the overtime. I am also called in if we have such a major accident.”
So back to the station for the investigative portion of this incident.
“So this is the car,” Green said, looking at a blurry photo. “I have everyone else. This is the car I need to find and figure out why it didn’t stay where it was.”
And Groen really does it all. He secured funding from the state Bureau of Traffic Safety for new bicycles and LIDAR equipment. He took up major accident investigations and single-handedly restarted the traffic department after it was closed for more than a year due to staffing problems.
“I ended up recovering a lot of stolen cars,” Green said. “I mean, it’s not a secret at this point. We have a lot of stolen cars in the city of Antioch.”
He will also become part of Antioch’s ongoing efforts against fringe activities, something that has plagued its neighbors in recent years.
“I think after Covid has happened, and OTS will support us, there is data to show that there has been more dangerous driving post-Covid,” Green said. “Especially because there was no traffic law enforcement at that time.”
As for going it all alone, Green said he’s getting help from within the department and beyond.
“Every time I send a message on social media, I get tons of calls,” he said of the public support. “People from the community help point me in the right direction, so I’m not alone. The community is also investing in this. They are very bad at road safety.”
Green doesn’t mind picking up the extra slack. He’s just happy to see the device is up and running again.
“That’s what I signed up for,” he said of his work. ‘I am a civil servant. Someone has to do it. We are so short. I’m not the only one picking up the pieces, so I don’t deserve to work less.”
Wilson Walker
