It's not uncommon for police officers in small towns to overlook minor ordinance violations. Most times those minor infractions don't seriously impact anyone, and many officers feel it is counterproductive for police to appear overly gung-ho.

In fact, a camaraderie between police and the public often can be a valuable resource for obtaining information about real crimes or more serious ordinance violations.

Only Mars' mayor and borough council can officially determine police officers' attitude as to how they deal with minor infractions — when they confront a violator and when they allow the situation to slide. However, in at least some borough council members' eyes — as was evident at a July 6 council meeting — the police might be allowing too many violations to go unchecked.

That is a matter of concern for every municipality because, in the end, it is the elected government leaders who must answer for the actions of those whom the community employs.

Council President Mike Fleming's view on the ordinance-violation situation is a good guideline. He said when police see a violation, they should first give a warning. Then, if the violation continues, a ticket should be issued.

Such a warning-first procedure hopefully would end up with the desired result without the police being accused of nit-picking. At the same time, residents must understand that being too lenient about some minor violations sometimes opens the window to bigger ones.

At the meeting, Mayor Richard Settlemire came to the police department's defense, noting that the borough officers can't be everywhere at one time in the one-square-mile community. The borough employs a full-time police chief and five part-time officers, but there are times when only one officer is on duty.

Councilwoman JoAnn Rogers agreed with Settlemire in terms of the limitations of one officer knowing what is happening everywhere in the borough but said, "The point is if they observe a violation, they should address it."

From police officers' perspective, that should not be looked upon as unreasonable.

Among the specific situations mentioned by council members as not having been sufficiently enforced were illegal parking in handicapped parking spaces at the ballfield and residents whose lawn mowers spray grass clippings and other debris on streets.

Police Chief Kevin Radford didn't attend the July 6 meeting, so the council didn't immediately receive his reaction to what was being alleged. At the end of the council's discussion, Settlemire agreed to meet with the police officers to discuss the council members' concerns and listen to the officers' responses.

Mars doesn't have to become the ticket capital of Butler County in order to meet the council's objective. But police should address small issues to keep them from multiplying.

Some communities ignore one dilapidated building, then another, then find themselves facing a major rundown-building problem. That is the product of lax enforcement.

Mars Borough must guard against situations that are small now but that can become much bigger or more annoying later.

The council was right to include this issue on its agenda now rather than later.

— J.R.K.