Batavia City Police Department

Press Release:

The City of Batavia Police Department is urging drivers to buckle up during the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) national Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement effort. The national seat belt campaign, which coincides with the Memorial Day holiday, runs from May 22 to June 4. 

“We want seat belt use to be an automatic habit for drivers and passengers alike,” said Assistant Police Chief Chris Camp. “It’s not just a safe thing to do - it’s the law. During the Click It or Ticket campaign, we’ll be working with our fellow law enforcement officers across local and state lines to ensure the message gets out to drivers and passengers. Buckling up is the simplest thing you can do to limit injury or save your life during a crash. We see the results of not wearing a seat belt all the time. So often, it could have been prevented.” 

According to NHTSA, in 2021, there were 11,813 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the United States. In that same year, 57% of passenger vehicle occupants killed at night (6 p.m.– 5:59 a.m.) were not wearing their seat belts. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night. 

“No matter the type of vehicle you’re driving in or the type of road you’re driving on, the simplest way to stay safe in case of a vehicle crash is to wear your seat belt,” said Assistant Police Chief Chris Camp. “Unfortunately, many families are suffering because their loved ones refused to follow this simple step. NHTSA data shows that seat belt use is higher among females than males. In fact, nearly twice as many males were killed in crashes as compared to females in 2021. Of the males killed in crashes during that same year, more than half (54%) were unrestrained. For females killed in crashes, 42% were not buckled up. 

“If the enforcement effort alerts people to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider our mission to be a success,” said Assistant Police Chief Chris Camp. “If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up when they drive, please ask them to consider changing their habits. Help us spread this lifesaving message before one more friend or family member is killed as a result of not buckling up. Seat belts save lives, and everyone - front seat and back, child and adult - needs to remember to buckle up.” 

For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit NHTSA.gov/ciot Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: https://crimewatch.net/us/ny/genesee/batavia-pd/138661/post/2023-click-it-or-ticket-campaign

Is there a “secret plan to roundup civilians” with the City of Batavia’s recently-acquired Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) military-style armored vehicle?

“No," Batavia City Police Chief Shawn Heubusch emphatically replied in response to a question Monday night from City Council President Eugene Jankowski.

Heubusch reported to Council on the police department’s Oct. 11 receipt of the MRAP, stating that it will be used exclusively as a rescue vehicle.

“It is not an assault vehicle – no firearms are attached to it – and the department is not patrolling with it,” said Heubusch, adding that the vehicle is in “exceptional condition.”

The chief said it cost only $1,600 to get it to Batavia from Maryland – with the price tag much less than the budgeted amount of $7,000.

He said $900 was spent to replace a couple batteries and that a Buffalo business will be donating a lighting package. He also said that the plan is to paint the vehicle to remove the “military look” and with lettering indicating that it is for rescue operations.

All costs to get the truck ready will be split 50-50 with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, Heubusch said.

“This vehicle cost $854,000 new; that’s what the federal government paid,” he said. “For a comparable (model), you’d spend $200,000 to $300,000. We got it at a fraction of the cost (transportation to Batavia and other maintenance/painting charges).”

Heubusch said the Department of Defense owns it – “we’re renting it,” he said – but it’s not costing taxpayers because the money came from asset forfeitures and court-ordered drug seizures.

(File photo.)