Police chief: Toss jaywalkers’ tickets

Once again, Peoria police officers have ticketed Manual High School students for walking in the street as they leave school.

This go-round, though, may end with far less controversy than in 2007, when a jaywalking crackdown in the 2100 block of Wiswall Street led to protests from the black community.

Twenty students received $200 citations, 10 each on Feb. 24 and March 3, according to Police Chief Steven Settingsgaard. But, after surveying the area and reviewing police reports, he wants all but one of the tickets withdrawn.

“While I believe the violations were legitimate in that students were walking down the center of the street,” Chief Settingsgaard said in an e-mailed response, “I am sympathetic to the fact that the sidewalks on Wiswall are nearly non-existent and it has been some time since we made an effort to remind students about what is expected.”

The exception involves a student who also was cited for obstructing justice after he refused to obey police orders.

Manual students were preoccupied with homecoming celebrations in September 2007 when police issued $75 tickets to 22 students walking along Wiswall and 10 in the Woodruff High School area. This time, Manual students are celebrating the school’s winning basketball season as the boys’ team prepares to compete in the IHSA tournament on Friday. A pep rally was held for the team Thursday morning.

“It surprises me that it happened the way it did this time,” said Rita Ali, the eyewitness who made a formal complaint about student ticketing in 2007 and organized a citizens’ protest in front of police headquarters.

Ali contacted the police chief about the latest ticketing situation after a parent called her. She said the NAACP, the Martin Luther King Holiday Committee and other community groups have developed a positive working relationship with the chief.

She has agreed to help Settingsgaard revive the school assemblies organized to resolve the previous ticketing controversy. Peoria police officers visited all four Peoria high schools to make students aware of ordinances regarding littering, truancy, underage drinking and jaywalking.

Settingsgaard said he is looking for better long-term solutions than issuing tickets. He has asked City Manager Scott Moore to investigate possibilities, particularly along Wiswall, that would provide a safe place for students to walk.

“One possibility might be to create a pedestrian/bicycle lane on one side of the street. This could potentially alleviate the problem without the tremendous expense or installing sidewalks/curbs/gutters.”