Dummy Proves Smart Idea

Speeding, you spot the police cruiser just in time. You brake, then smile as you glide by the unsuspecting officer at the legal speed limit. But who is fooling whom? Oceanside’s finest has just put one over on you.

The latest addition to the city’s police force is Sandra Safety, a blond, life-size mannequin decked out in a patrolman’s tunic that sits all day inside a police car parked on Oceanside streets.

Police have used the mannequin since June 1 to trick speeders into obeying the law, according to Sgt. Gene Fernandes.

The results, Fernandes said, are dramatic.

“We watched for a while from an unmarked car, and the brake lights just all come on as (motorists) go creeping by at 20 m.p.h,” he noted.

Every morning, Fernandes consults his computer on the most dangerous, accident-prone spots in town. Then two officers come in to pick up Sandra and deposit her at that location. The rate of accidents there drops through the floor, Fernandes said.