Decoy squad car helps to slow traffic in downtown Lakeside

The hills bookending downtown Lakeside are illuminated by a sinuous, almost uninterrupted line of red as drivers traveling in both directions hit their brakes.

Some drivers give the pedal a panicked stomp; others an instinctive tap. In either case, speeds drop to 45 mph, then 35 mph, and - in many cases - even slower.

Taillights flickering crimson have become a common sight in Lakeside since Jeremy and Deborah Newell began parking their dummy patrol car along U.S. 93.

"The traffic was wild," said Jeremy, who with his wife owns the Lakeside Mercantile. "People were just going way too fast."

To fightthe chronic problem with speeders, the Newells approached reserve Lake County sheriff's Deputy Martin Tetachuck with their dummy patrol car idea at a Chamber of Commerce function to meet new business owners. Tetachuck, who is also a real estate broker in town, promised to look into it.

Three years later, the Lake County Sheriff's Office came through, donating a 1995 Crown Victoria retired from the county's motor pool after years of service.

The Newells fitted the car with a light bar, which also was donated, and attached a gold star decal with the words "Lakeside Decoy" to the driver's side door. A dummy - currently clad in aviator sunglasses, a deputy-like cowboy hat and a hodgepodge of patches on a homemade uniform - sits inside.

"It's not like this car gets a whole lot of use, but it's doing what it's intended to do, which is to slow traffic," Jeremy said.

The Newells, with the permission of the Montana Highway Patrol and Flathead County Sheriff's Office, began placing the dummy patrol car around town in May.

They are prohibited only from impersonating police officers, selling the car and attaching official decals.

"It all looks good from a distance, but if you get up close it looks kind of funny," said Jeremy, who on an almost daily basis moves the car from his residence to some prominent place on the highway.

Despite initial concern about how a dummy patrol car would impress the customers of local businesses, the project has attracted increasing support from merchants and residents alike.

"The businesses have gone from thinking it would reflect badly on them to giving us their support," Jeremy said. "I'd say community participation has been outstanding."

The owner of a Lakeside bar found the Newells a good price on insurance. The Lakeside Community Foundation agreed to register the vehicle in the organization's name and open a bank account to accept donations to keep the squad car in repair. A local mechanic gave the car, which has more than 200,000 miles on the odometer, a tune-up for only the price of parts.

Now residents in other towns, especially Somers, are requesting use of the decoy, Deborah said.

"We get calls now with people asking, 'Please park it here,'" she noted. "It's really the whole West Shore's car, you know."

The Newells said they saw an almost immediate improvement in people's driving behavior after putting the dummy patrol car in place.

While transporting the black-and-white cruiser from Polson back to Lakeside, a tractor-trailer pulled out in front of Deborah and sped up to 70 mph in a 60 mph zone. Jeremy was following his wife in the newly acquired squad car.

"As soon as Jeremy came around the bend, this truck backed off and actually braked going uphill," Deborah said. "The trucker drove safely all the way through Lakeside."

The incident proved to the couple that the dummy patrol car ultimately would be successful, even with locals who know the car is a decoy.

"That's how fast you realize it works. People are paying attention," he said. "It's amazing when they see you how safely they drive and how quickly they get down to 35 mph. It's not that we want people to get tickets, we just don't want people to speed."

The dummy patrol car has become something of a tourist attraction, Deborah said. People will take pictures with it, and more than a few passersby have jokingly spread their hands on the hood, as if they were being arrested, for the benefit of their friends.

Deborah recalls one man approaching the car, with a map, to ask for directions.

But the last thing the Newells want is for someone to go to the car during an emergency. The emergency phone number 911 is displayed prominently on the car's flank.

"We've tried to be really clear about what and where it is," she said.

The Newells' next project is to install a radar transmitter in the patrol car so that people with radar detectors will hear a beep and slow down as well.

"As long as we have the money to keep it running, it's going to be the ticket," Jeremy said.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com