The commander of the local troop of Pennsylvania State Police
says local officials are incorrect to say that state troopers are
stopping people without justification while “fishing” for people
driving under the influence of alcohol.

On Wednesday, The Era received a lengthy letter from Capt.
Kimberly Leemhuis, commander of Troop C, based in Punxsutawney. The
letter was in response to a recent story involving Bradford City
Mayor Tom Riel and Bradford Township Supervisor Chairman Don
Cummins.

Leemhuis also assured The Era that anyone with a complaint on
trooper conduct could contact her or the Kane barracks commander,
and the incident would be reviewed.

“The safety of the citizens of this commonwealth on Pennsylvania
highways is a primary responsibility of all law enforcement,” said
Leemhuis.

“This is best accomplished through proactive and aggressive
enforcement of DUI and other traffic offenses,” she said. “We are
striving to make DUI arrests before the driver crashes and causes
serious bodily injury, death, and/or property damage. Our troopers
see the carnage left behind by intoxicated drivers.”

Leemhuis said troopers are trained to detect signs of impaired
driving.

“They are trained that when they observe a traffic violation
they are to initiate a traffic stop and take appropriate
enforcement action,” she said. “If, during their encounter with the
driver, the presence of alcohol or a controlled substance is
detected, the trooper is duty-bound to further investigate the
traffic stop to ascertain if the driver is under the influence of
alcohol or drugs to the degree that would render them incapable of
safe driving.”

Before an arrest can be made, the trooper must establish
probable cause.

“This would include personal observations of intoxication, as
well as field sobriety testing, and if available, the use of a
preliminary breath-testing device,” Leemhuis said. “The only
instance that would preclude the use of field sobriety testing
would be one in which the driver exhibits signs of extreme
intoxication to the degree that their safety would be jeopardized
or if their age, weight or physical impairment precluded the use of
tests.”

If the tests do not show signs of impairment, the trooper will
still take enforcement action on the violation that caused the
traffic stop.

Leemhuis said about 98 percent of the DUI cases in McKean County
resulted in convictions. And the average blood alcohol content is
.17 percent; the legal limit is .08 percent.

“Unfortunately, these highly impaired operators do not always
make it home safely, and many times neither do those other innocent
motorists sharing the highways with them,” she said. “Arrest
without legal justification would certainly result in lower
conviction rates. In the past week alone, troopers from the Kane
station have made six arrests for DUI in McKean County, four of
which were in the City of Bradford.

“Neither I nor the Kane station commander, Sgt. Jeffrey Wilson,
have received a single complaint … alleging unjustified traffic
stops by members of the PSP,” Leemhuis said. She added that the
previous station commander had also been asked about complaints and
said none were received.

“Citizens are welcome to contact myself or Sgt. Jeffrey Wilson …
with their concerns, compliments or complaints. Citizens may also
choose to utilize the PSP website, which has an electronic form
available for their concerns, compliments or complaints.”

She said any complaint would be evaluated with an “unbiased and
comprehensive” review.

“The mayor and Bradford Township Supervisor have also expressed
concerns over the possible loss or reduction of their respective
police departments due to the increased presence of the PSP,”
Leemhuis said. “It is neither the goal nor intent of the PSP to
replace any other police departments in McKean County. No law
enforcement agency, including the PSP, has unlimited
resources.”

She said she looks forward to a cooperative and professional
relationship between all area law enforcement.

“The citizens of McKean County can be assured we will continue
to work together to ensure their safety.”