Palmer Township Issues Cell Phone Use Ban to Employees

Palmer Township employees will no longer be allowed to use their cell phones to talk or text while driving a municipal vehicle.

During last night’s Board of Supervisors meeting, officials voted 4-0 in favor of prohibiting the use of cell phones and wireless devices for voice, text or email communication while driving a municipal vehicle.

The measure was considered after being discussed in a recent public safety committee meeting.

“They will have to pull over to the side of the road,” said township Manager Bob Anckaitis.

Township officials say the measure is meant to combat distracted drivers.  The policy does make exceptions for police radios and hands-free devices with single touch activation that don’t require drivers to constantly hold or touch the device.

“We probably should have passed this five years ago,” said Anckaitis.

There is also an exception for 911 emergency calls and calls made from an idling car in a parking space or lane.

“There’s a big difference there,” said township police Chief Bruce Fretz. “We’re not talking about calling an emergency in but having a conversation.”

The policy also does not stand for township employees outside of work or township residents. Palmer does not currently have restrictions on motorists using cell phones in place.

So what happens if a municipal employee is found in violation? Officials say each case would be looked at individually to determine proper disciplinary action, if any.

“I’m not saying it’s not going to happen,” said Anckaitis. “You’re going to call me and say, ‘Hey, I saw so-and-so on their phone,’ and when it happens we’ll take care of it.”