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February 8, 2010

State police snow stats

With snow piled on roadways and trapping many, Maryland State Police say their biggest challenge is dealing with cars stuck on the roads. Here are their latest stats from the weekend storm:

Maryland state troopers answered thousands of calls for service during the weekend storm, but most of those calls involved disabled or unattended vehicles caught in the snow. 

From noon Friday, February 5th, through 11:00 p.m. yesterday, February 7th, troopers across Maryland responded to more than 2,900 calls for service. Of those, more than 1,300 involved vehicles that had become disabled or were found unattended along an interstate or state highway. Troopers at the Frederick Barracks dealt with 140 disabled/unattended vehicles, the most of all 22 barracks.  They were followed by Waterloo Barracks in Howard County (131), Glen Burnie Barracks in Anne Arundel County (130), and Golden Ring Barracks in Baltimore County where troopers handled 112 disabled or unattended vehicles. 

 Troopers responded to 389 traffic crashes. Most of those crashes (232) involved minor property damage and no personal injury. Troopers handled 157 crashes that involved either personal injury and/or damage significant enough to require the vehicle to be towed. Troopers at the Forestville and College Park barracks in Prince George’s County handled a combined 56 crashes, while troopers at the Rockville Barracks in Montgomery County handled 55 crashes. 

Troopers made 685 requests for tow trucks during the period. More than 100 requests were made by troopers from the Glen Burnie Barracks, who patrol Anne Arundel County. 

Colonel Terrence B. Sheridan, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police is today reminding motorists that travel is still hazardous in many locations around the state. While most of the interstates are incredibly clear, there are still areas of some that are snow and ice covered, which can create a serious hazard for the unsuspecting driver. Travel is even less predictable on secondary roads. 

Vehicles that are still abandoned on state roads and interstates continued to be towed and stored by Maryland State Police in order to facilitate snow removal by the State Highway Administration.  No parking is permitted on state roads or interstates when the snow emergency plans are in effect. The most vehicles stored by troopers were in Prince George’s County, where 33 vehicles were towed away and in Montgomery County, where troopers stored 28 automobiles. 
 
Drivers whose vehicles were towed from state routes by State Police should contact the barracks nearest to where the vehicle was left. A list of barracks and locations is available at www.mdsp.org
 
For vehicles towed in Prince George’s County, owners can call the Forestville Barracks at 301-568-8101, or the College Park Barracks at 301-345-3101. Owners of vehicles towed by State Police in Montgomery County should call the Rockville Barracks at 301-424-2101. 

Additional troopers remain on patrol as cleanup from the weekend snow continues and preparations are made for the predicted mid-week storm. Troopers assigned to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, Automotive Safety Enforcement Division, and the Special Operations Division, have been reassigned to road patrol duties to supplement the regular patrol force across Maryland. 

Posted by Peter Hermann at 11:56 AM | | Comments (1)
        

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Virginia State Police say there were more than 3,300 traffic accidents during this past weekend's snow storm, including 250 of them where someone was hurt.

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About Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann started covering news for The Baltimore Sun in 1990, first in Anne Arundel County and, starting in 1994, reporting on the Baltimore Police Department. In 2001, he was assigned to Jerusalem as the Baltimore Sun's Middle East correspondent. He returned in 2005 as an assistant city editor overseeing crime coverage. In 2008, Peter returned to the beat as a daily reporter and blogger. A recent BBC report featured him in a segment on the harsh realities of covering crime in Baltimore.

Coverage will focus on crime trends, problems in neighborhoods in the city and elsewhere, profiles of victims and police officers and try to offer readers a fresh perspective on one of the most vexing issues facing Baltimore and its future.



Contributing to this blog is Justin Fenton, who joined The Sun in 2005 and has covered the Baltimore City Police Department and the criminal justice system since 2008. His work includes an investigation into Cal Ripken Jr.’s minor league baseball stadium deal with his hometown of Aberdeen, a three-part series chronicling a ruthless con woman, coverage of the killing of five Amish children at a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pa., and a job swap with a British crime reporter to explore differences in crime-fighting. A special report looking into how city police handle rape cases led to sweeping reforms that changed the way sexual assaults are investigated in Baltimore. He was recognized as the best reporter in Baltimore by the City Paper in 2010 and by Baltimore Magazine in 2011.
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