Police chief spreads word about safe driving

Patton Township officers use media to publicize message

Sara Ganim

You've probably heard at least one of them on the radio.

Or maybe you’ve seen the state Department of Transportation signs flash his message.

A short, 30-second, friendly reminder from Patton Township Police Chief John Petrick to drive carefully — or get a ticket.

“What I’m trying to do is spread a message of safe driving at no cost to the motorists,” Petrick said. “By doing these public service announcements, it’s a proactive approach at getting a message out through various multimedia outlets.”

It started years ago when Patton Township police were investigating a hit-and-run fatal pedestrian crash. Petrick contacted Penn- DOT and asked if he could use any available electronic signs to spread the word that police were looking for eyewitnesses.

“They said that was an unusual request,” Petrick said, later adding: “There was an opportunity. Bottom line, it cannot hurt to ask for assistance.”

Right now they have a simple but important message: Don’t tailgate. Don’t speed.

“I am not sure how many vehicles pass that intersection,” he said. “But it’s quite a bit and it’s just a reminder.”

Petrick has produced public service announcements with WOWY-FM and WRSC-AM. He also made one with C-NET in which he gets pulled over for bad driving.

“I think he cares a lot about what’s going on in the community,” said Mark Douglas, morning show host and program director at Wowy radio. “I’ll give up 30 seconds once or twice a day to get the word out like that. I drive 30 minutes a day, and I know how people drive around here. I think it’s important.”

C-NET executive director Cindy Hahn said, “He does have a reputation as being very eager to reach out to the community and emphasize the good work that the Patton Township police are doing.”

The idea to maximize local media, Petrick says, comes from his experience with the NYPD. It’s hard to miss those New York City roots when you hear him talk.

“I think it’s just the city perspective, trying to use the media outlets to have a goal accomplished,” he said. “I know the media is very powerful. I try to take advantage of whatever I can to educate the public, keep everyone safe, and it’s a win-win for everyone.”

The PSAs are now being done by several of his officers, and though there is no clear way to tell if they work, people are listening.

“I’ve had numerous people approach me and mention, ‘I’ve heard your ad on the radio,’ ” Petrick said. “Once they hear it, there is a message there, hopefully it’s being absorbed.”