Be Aware of Waits

After having breakfast with me yesterday morning, my father, who is 78 yrs old, left for a few errands before heading home.  At 11:00 I had a call that he had an accident on the Westside of Jacksonville just off 103rd.  The accident happened at 10:40 and dad was fine and no one was hurt but the Jacksonville Police had been called at dad's request.  The damage was around $2,000 to dad's car as he had been hit from the side and the accident was not his fault.  I told him I was on my way because he was not sure if he could drive the car.  When I got there, I found that the other driver who was a young guy in his early 20's in a truck and did not have a valid license.  He had wanted to leave the scene after exchanging information but dad had insisted that he stay.  The other driver had called a friend who had arrived and had tried to give dad a wad of money to just forget it but dad had said no. 

We called the Jacksonville Police three times and not on the 911 number as we were afraid that the other guy would leave.  I told this information to the dispatcher and we were told they were backed up but someone would be there when a car was available.  We were not sure what kind of mess it would be if we did not get a Police Report.  My dad continued to stand on the side of the road in the heat waiting on the Police with his car blocking the truck so it could not leave. 

The Police arrived some time between 12:30 - 12:45 almost two hours after the accident and report.   It took the Police about 30 - 40 minutes to write up the report and they were extremely nice.  The young guy had his license suspended for two years ( I do not know why) and was arrested at the scene and got a ticket.   

This blog is not meant as an attack on the Police but to make everyone aware of the facts that we now face.  The Police now have to prioritize the use of their resources and you may just be standing out on a curb waiting for them for a while.  Police resources are stretched because of budget constraints.  I heard on the television that Baker County Police are trying to save money by handling calls such as this accident over the phone and not dispatching a Police car to save gas money.   If I recall correctly, they have a $40,000 short fall because of gas prices.   I also heard that Police are being told to not keep their car running while they write up a report to save gas. 

Thank goodness that this young guy did not run or my 78 year old father, who has a temper, may have tackled him and what a mess that would have been.  I appreciate the young guy doing what's right, even though he knew he shouldn't have been driving.  I appreciate the courteous Police officer who did his job.   I think I had always assumed that you call the Police and they are there within minutes and this is the first time this new reality of budget constraints became real for me.