Red Phone: Officers need to be visible

“Why do our two motorcycle cops hide on the sidewalks and the cemetery? They would better serve by being visible and around schools instead of trying to trap people. Why don’t they patrol separately? They don’t present a very good image.”

Red Phone: Dear Hiding Out, The motorcycle officers are not just there for show. They don’t press their uniforms then go out and kiss babies. That’s what parades and special events are for. Their function is to keep the streets safe. 

Red Phone has received several concerns from callers about people speeding through residential streets especially around First Street. Officers don’t need to be visible to keep people safe. Why should they announce their presence to people who will only slow down once they see the officers and then continue speeding? A fine is a much better deterrent to keeping our streets safe.

Earlier this month motor officers caught a person who was going 65 mph in a 35 mph, said Sgt. Chad Gallacinao. 

“In regards to First Street, the department’s motor officers will continue to concentrate their efforts on identified problem areas for speed, intersection and red light violations.” he said. “The unsafe speed creates a safety issue for other motorists and pedestrians in the area – since the speed combined with the driver’s perception / reaction time delays the driver’s ability to safely stop their vehicle.”

Since school has resumed, police have concentrated their efforts on traffic safety near our local schools, especially during peak hours, Gallacinao said.   

“Our presence at the schools should serve as a reminder of the importance of traffic safety – with the deterrence, education and enforcement of traffic laws,” he said.

So please slow down, and you won’t have to worry where the officers are.

Where did Quiznos go?

“What happened to the Gilroy Quiznos? Dropped by to pick a sandwich, and discovered the store was closed. I checked the Quiznos website and Gilroy is no longer listed.”

Red Phone: Dear Wondering, It appears Quiznos has indeed been toasted. The nearest one is in Morgan Hill, but the franchise owners were not the same, a manager at the Morgan Hill location confirmed. He didn’t know why the Gilroy location closed. 

When Red Phone contacted the corporate office in Denver, the only response was an unhelpful “Each Quiznos location is an independently-owned and operated business and as such, store closures are determined on a case-by-case basis by individual store owners.”

The representative could not say if there has been any interest in re-establishing a franchise here. 

While we would love to see a franchise return, we’re not holding our breath after an article published in August in the Denver Post claimed the company is $875 million in debt and is trying to restructure. There are reports that franchise owners have not seen eye to eye with the corporate office, and many have been forced to close.

Quiznos saw a 14 percent drop in sales last year and lost 600 restaurants, according to restaurant consulting firm Technomic Inc. For a link to the article, click here.