FDL Police Officer’s “POPS” Project Looks at Crashes on West Johnson

Reducing traffic crashes on west Johnson Street is the goal of a POPS Project initiated by a Fond du Lac Police Officer. POPS stands for Problem Oriented Policing Strategies, and each city officer is required to complete a project during their first year after completing field training. Officer Marcus Clapper is a West District officer with the City of Fond du Lac Police Department, and he says the number of crashes on west Johnson alone is significant. “In 2018, there were 154 car crashes on West Johnson Street alone – that’s from Main Street all the way out west by Menards – and 16 of those crashes resulted in injuries,” Clapper said. He adds that officers conducted 1,635 traffic stops on all of Johnson Street in 2018, and that officers have done four saturation patrols to reduce the number of crashes in the last month.

Clapper says their goal is to remain visible along that section of Johnson Street to reduce the number of crashes and other violations. When it comes to advice for drivers who use Johnson Street regularly, Clapper says to slow down, always wear a seatbelt, call for a cab or use a designated driver if you choose to go out and drink alcohol and to pay attention to traffic lights, especially in bad weather. “A lot of the violations that cause crashes or just violations in general that we stop people for are light violations,” he said. “Especially when the weather is bad, people go through the lights or they slide through the lights and that causes crashes, so always be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to the traffic lights.”