Decoy patrol car proves 'Lucky' for Lakeside

By JACOB DORAN / Bigfork Eagle

By now, the decoy patrol car that is usually stationed along U.S. Highway 93 in Lakeside has become a familiar sight to locals, but that doesn't mean it has stopped lowering the speeds of those passing through.

In fact, I was surprised at how deeply ingrained it has become in the psyche of most people to slow down when they see a black and white car with a light bar. I witnessed this first hand when Lakeside resident Jere Newell invited me to come along for a drive in "Lucky" a couple of weeks ago.

It seemed that everywhere we went, whether it was north or south of Lakeside, everyone was on their very best behavior. In fact, most people drove five to 10 mph below the speed limit.

Incredibly, this effect was seen in vehicles driving uphill and downhill, as well as on a straightaway. What most impressed me, however, was the sight of brake lights going uphill whenever the decoy patrol car appeared from behind or parked along side the road.

Even people who know the patrol car is a decoy find themselves compelled to check their speed whenever it comes in sight. I can honestly say that I too find myself instinctively checking my speed coming into town, even though I am always mindful of the 35 mph speed limit as a matter of respect and out of awareness of the number of children who walk near the road.

In talking to some of the locals, it is evident that "Lucky's" effect on traffic has definitely not gone unnoticed around town. Many who have long lamented the disregard of cars and trucks for the posted speed limit between the two hills have begun singing the praises of the newest member of the Lakeside community and the people who had the vision and foresight to have one of Lake County's reserve patrolmen look for and obtain a car on the town's behalf.

It was Deborah Newell, co-owner of the Lakeside Mercantile, who first came up with the idea three years ago, after seeing a picture of reserve patrolman Martin Tetachuk standing next to his patrol car. She noticed the picture while attending a Chamber Dive-In at By The Lake Realty, where Tetachuk works as a real estate broker.

Newell asked Tetachuk if there was any chance that a faux patrol car could be acquired for the town of Lakeside and used as a deterrent to speeders. Tetachuk said he would look into it and spent the next three years doing just that, waiting for a car to come available while Newell continued to call and check on his progress.

At last, a patrol car came available—his own. He had driven the car for more than six years, having been issued the 1995 Crown Victoria with 80,000 miles at that time. Once the car had about 200,000 miles on it, he was told that the department was going to upgrade his vehicle and gave the old patrol car to the school resource officers since they would not need it for any high-speed chases. The resource officers drove the car for another six months and put another 20,000 miles on the vehicle before it was retired altogether.

When newer vehicles came in, word got back to Tetachuk that the department had decided to put his old patrol car up for auction, and he approached Lake County Sheriff Lucky Larson about bidding on the car himself. After telling Larson that he wanted to give the car to Lakeside, Larson said he would work it out to sell the car to the town for a penance, believing that it was a great idea and would be effective in slowing traffic.

When all was said and done, the department decided just to give the car to Lakeside, once the licensing and insurance had been taken care of, on the condition that Newell contact the Flathead County Sheriff's Department and get their blessing.

Newell not only contacted Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan but also talked to Sgt. Roy Christensen with the local Montana Highway Patrol office. Both departments enthusiastically supported the idea and outlined the criteria for having and displaying a faux patrol car in the town—namely that it not be left on a public right-of-way for more than 48 hours and that it have no official markings. The light bar was also disabled prior to being turned over to Newell to be used in the Lakeside community.

Not only did Newell succeed in obtaining a faux patrol car, but surprisingly obtained the very one that first piqued her interest, when she saw it in the photograph. However, as it turns out, the car was also semi-famous for its appearance in the court TV show "Trail of Clues," in which Tetachuk helped to reinact his own involvement in the rescue of 17-year old kidnap victim Anne Sluti of Kearney, Neb.

Sluti had been abducted from the parking lot of a Kearney mall and spent a week in captivity prior to being discovered on April 11, 2001, at a seasonal cabin in Rollins. A neighbor called 911 after noticing the Toyota Tercel that her abductor had stolen and which authorities had been searching for. Tetachuk, who lived only a half mile from the cabin, had responded to the call, along with several other officers and Lake County Detective Andrew Cannon.

After a 10-hour standoff, Sluti helped negotiate her own release and was treated in the local hospital for injuries associated with her assault and subsequent rape. Tetachuk was among the officers who received a certificate of commendation for his involvement in Sluti's rescue.

The picture that Newell had noticed at the real estate office was the one published in the Polson newspaper when Tetachuk was named the 2005 Reserve Deputy of the Year. Consequently, when Newell decided to name the patrol car "Lucky" in honor of Larson and her hope that it would bring good fortune and reduced speeds to the community of Lakeside, she did not realize how appropriate the name truly was.

Tetachuk said he has already noticed a reduction in the speed of the cars that travel through Lakeside and added that he is continually hearing good reports from the people of Lakeside and other communities about how successful the patrol car has been in slowing traffic.

"I think it's a great idea," Tetachuck said last week. "The tax payers—the people of Montana—paid for this car, and I figured we might as well give it back to them. It's a proven fact that these cars work. It's not a new idea, but it's certainly successful, and that's the name of the game. That's worth way more than the little bit of money these cars would bring in at an auction."