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EAST CHICAGO | As several cars sat waiting at a lowered train crossing gate in East Chicago on Thursday morning, one man decided to risk going around the safety device.
Mark Bozarth, of Hammond, drove around other idling vehicles and sped across the train intersection at Indianapolis Boulevard, missing the front of an oncoming CSX freight train by mere feet, police said.
And just as quick, East Chicago police pulled Bozarth over, citing him for the illegal crossing.
Bozarth became the first person nabbed in an "enforcement blitz" Thursday set up to catch impatient motorists and pedestrians who cross the tracks in front of oncoming trains, police said.
Bozarth could not comment Thursday because he also was arrested and jailed on probable cause of a narcotics crime, police said.
Ken Gilsdorf, a CSX railroad supervisor for public affairs and safety, said planning for the blitz was in the works even before a Hammond woman and two of her children were killed last month in Hammond after the woman tried to beat a freight train to a crossing at Johnson Avenue in her mini-van.
Thursday's law-enforcement effort was paired with public education efforts at local schools in hopes of underscoring the message that residents should take the five minutes to wait for trains rather than risking their lives.
"If it's a tie between you and the train, you lose," said Brian Edwards, a CSX road foreman of engines.
As it turned out Thursday, Bozarth was the only motorist cited during the blitz. Another woman at Indianapolis Boulevard who was issued a warning.
Gilsdorf and Edwards said they were glad that so few people tried to cross the tracks illegally Thursday, but they're hoping local law enforcement will continue working with them on future blitzes.
"I hope the police think this is a needed thing to do," Gilsdorf said. "They have to set an example with the public. If they don't do anything, people think it's okay to try to beat our trains."
Someone with a little common sense, please explain why the police would arrest someone for illegally crossing a railroad tract, but will not arrest someone for not illegally crossing our borders?
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