By Dan Aceto

Staff Writer

It’s 8 a.m on Running Hill Road in Scarborough and all is quiet.

That is until a silver Sports Utility Vehicle passes going 10 miles per hour over the speed a limit. 

“We got a 47 . . .,” says sgt. John O’Malley of the Scarborough Police Department into his radio.

But before he can finish his sentence a black Dodge Caliber passes just behind it, going even faster.
“Skip it, get the one in front of you, he’s doing 53,” O’Malley says.
Within seconds, a police car responds to the call and races down the road toward the unsuspecting vehicle.
O’Malley steadies the radar and speaks sternly into the radio, asking what squad car is available next.

“Do I have anybody in the hole?” 

“Yeah, 37,” a voice on the other end responds.

“10-4,” says O’Malley.

Like clockwork, the cruiser returns a short while later and pulls down a deserted road nearby to await further orders.

O’Malley, hidden inside a Scarborough Public Works truck, pauses before resuming his undercover traffic operation. 

 “It’s kind of like an airport when things are running smoothly,” O’Malley says. 

Running Hill Road, which O’Malley targeted for radar detail from 6 to 10 a.m., has a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour. It winds through a residential neighborhood and commuters often use it as a shortcut between Gorham and Portland, O’Malley said.
“We get a lot of complaints in the area, and rightfully so,” he said.

O’Malley chose the public works truck for his stakeout with hopes it would slow down drivers. Within the first two and one half hours, O’Malley assisted in pulling over 15 vehicles.

“It hasn’t been as high as I expected, which is a pleasant surprise,” O’Malley said.

Peak travel time is generally between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m., O’Malley said, and added congestion actually reduces speeding during those times. The highest speed he recorded for the day was 55 miles per hour at 6:40 a.m. 

O’Malley doesn’t rely solely on the radar gun to determine who has violated the law.

“We have to be proficient at both visual and radar reading,” O’Malley said. “People always ask how we’re able to do that and the answer is simple. We do it all day and after a while you get used to the certain speeds coming across and learn to recognize when someone is speeding and use the radar. It’s easy to see the high speeders, though, and there are enough around.”

O’Malley’s goal isn’t to issue as many tickets as possible.

 “It’s kind of more about being seen than the number of people we pull over,” O’Malley said. “If you stop one car then 20 others will see, so it’s kind of like you’re stopping 21 cars.”

O’Malley said the police department will continue its undercover operations and has future plans to focus efforts on Payne and Holmes roads.

“Scarborough is a bedroom community so when you’re speeding in Scarborough you’re usually speeding through someone’s neighborhood,” he said.