(Editor’s Note: Peninsula Township Deputy Sean Mugerian reports in with some stats from 2022 and notes about passing on the right, making 911 calls and more. -jb)
Hello, Everyone. I wanted to provide you all with some stats for 2022, as well as some important information.
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From January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, Deputy France and I responded to a total of 1,086 calls for service on the Old Mission Peninsula. Complaints in the 4th Quarter of 2022 include a stolen vehicle, larcenies, shoplifting complaints, crashes with injuries, domestic assaults, natural deaths, frauds, juvenile offenses, suicide attempts, the filing of a false police report, drag racing and more.
Together we also performed 293 traffic stops in 2022. These stops resulted in 103 tickets being issued. We found that nearly 80 percent of the traffic violations witnessed were caused by residents of Traverse City or Old Mission Peninsula. Please slow down and get to your destination safely.
Deputy France and I will continue to enforce excessive speed in 2023; however, we will also be on the lookout for additional traffic violations. There has been an enormous increase of vehicles passing on the right. This is not only illegal, but also extremely dangerous. There are no dedicated right passing lanes on Old Mission, and in no scenario is this permitted. Any violations witnessed by us will be addressed, and a ticket will likely be issued. Please be patient and refrain from driving in a reckless manner.
Please make sure that your vehicle is properly equipped for winter travel. Give yourself plenty of extra time to get to your destination safely. We ask that you be patient with other drivers on the road and do not pass under any circumstances if snow or ice is present. Please also make sure that your vehicle’s headlights are turned on manually to ensure that the taillights are also activated.
Lastly, I wanted to touch on calls to 911. As you may know, Deputy France and I carry department cellphones. These cellphone numbers are only to be contacted for non-emergencies and/or questions. Any crimes or complaints that require an immediate response should be phoned into 911. Additionally, please use 911 or central dispatch’s non-emergency number, (231) 922-4550, to report reckless drivers.
As always, please contact me or Deputy France if you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached at (231) 633-2579, and Deputy France can be reached at (231) 620-0687. Please refrain from sending text messages, as we do not monitor them frequently. If you do not need to contact one of us specifically, but have a question or concern, you can also leave a message on our office phone at (231) 223-4525.
Please note that Deputy France and I work opposite schedules. This ensures that a deputy is present on the Old Mission Peninsula every day. We also work at varying times throughout the week. If we do answer your call on our cellphones, we may be responding to another call, off duty, or working a very late shift. We will call you back during regular hours or on our next working day.
I hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe 2023!
-Deputy Sean Mugerian, Community Police Officer for the Old Mission Peninsula
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A NOTE FROM JANE: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers like the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, and magazines like Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So of course, I started my own newspaper. Because the Gazette is mainly reader-supported, I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks my way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the Old Mission Peninsula. Check out the donation page here. Thank you so much for your support. -jb
“There has been an enormous increase of vehicles passing on the right. This is not only illegal, but also extremely dangerous. There are no dedicated right passing lanes on Old Mission, and in no scenario is this permitted.”
I wish you would make clear that this means “No passing on the shoulder a car that is stopped to turn left”
I am amazed at how many people just take for granted this is safe and legal. As a cyclist on the shoulder this horrifies me.
Thanks to both of you for the work you do to protect folks on the Peninsula. I found it extremely interesting to learn that “nearly 80 percent of speeders” are local and not visitors. I would have assumed the opposite. It’s a sad fact that people these days either don’t know or don’t care about the laws of traffic. There has never been a time since the rules of traffic were codified that passing on the right has been legal in this country. This behavior is unacceptable and inexcusable.