KITTANNING -- Don't be in such a hurry through Kittanning -- or it could cost you.

Borough police are stepping up speed patrols in town after receiving a number of complaints about fast-moving cars. The speed limit in most of the borough is 25 miles per hour.

"(The problem) seems to be after school," said Kittanning Police Chief Ed Cassesse. Students leave school and race down Orr, Johnston and North Grant avenues in a frantic attempt to get ahead of bus traffic leaving Kittanning High School.


"On North Grant Avenue, we've caught one doing 52 miles per hour," the chief said. That's more than twice the speed limit on that street.

Police have also cited young drivers in those areas for rolling stops at stop signs, or not bothering to stop at stop signs, Cassesse said.

Other areas of concern in the borough include North McKean and Water streets, particularly near the Armstrong County YMCA, where there are a lot of small children.

"That is definitely going to be one of the more targeted areas," Cassesse said.

And don't think you can outsmart police by looking for VASCAR lines painted on the road. The police don't necessarily need them, according to the chief.

Any landmark -- a telephone pole, street sign, even a tar mark on the road -- can be used as a reference point to run the speed measuring system, he said.

"We just need to get our point across that people need to slow down," Cassesse said.

Even with a limited amount of time devoted toward catching speeders, police are averaging 15 citations a month, plus another 20 or so stops where warnings are issued.

"We try to do the best we can with the limited resources we have," he said. "If anybody has a problem with speeders in the their area, please let us know."

At borough council's most recent meeting last week, Cassesse and Mayor John Myers has kicked around the idea of publicizing the names of those caught speeding.

The chief made it clear, though, that he would rather people slow down than have to hand out speeding citations.

"We don't like to hand out speeding tickets, but unfortunately we have to."

Michael Miller can be reached at mmiller@tribweb.com or (724) 543-1303 ext 219.