HARTVILLE, Ohio — It's hard to argue that texting and driving is not dangerous. It's also easy to find someone who admits to doing it.
"It's kind of hard to say you shouldn't do it. I mean, you're working and a text comes in, or an email or something—instinct— you just pick up. It is dangerous though," said Rico Calzada from Tallmadge.
But others said they never text and drive because watching others do it is scary enough.
"You see a car drifting off to the side, one side to the other, and you know what they're doing," said Debbie Bigley from Wadsworth.
When you enter the village of Hartville in Stark County, a sign warns that distracted driving is strictly enforced.
Police Chief Kevin Moore said the goal is clear.
"We want to remind people that these are the laws and the safety that you're supposed to do in a car. We don't want people injured. We don't want people killed in car accidents," Moore said.
However, in recent weeks, several posts on social media have raised questions and criticized police over the enforcement.
On a Wednesday afternoon, News 5 witnessed a Hartville officer hand out a ticket to the driver of a pickup truck for violating the texting while driving law.
Since June 1, 2024, Hartville police have issued 222 texting tickets. Most of them have come from the same officer, who is the only patrol officer working the day shift, according to Moore.
News 5 contacted several police departments to find out how many tickets they've issued over the same time frame.
Canal Fulton, which is bigger than Hartville, and Brewster, a smaller village, issued zero tickets. Akron, with a population of around 187,000, issued 249 tickets, 27 more than Hartville, which has a population of around 3,400.
Officers from Canton and Cleveland were looking into statistics but did not provide any numbers as of Wednesday evening.
"Ohio's law "texting while driving prohibited" went into effect in the spring of 2023. For the first six months, police issued warnings to distracted drivers, but since then, some departments have been issuing citations up to $150 for first-time offenders.
The law reads, "No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any street, highway, or property open to the public for vehicular traffic while using, holding, or physically supporting with any part of the persons body an electronic communication device."
There are exceptions to the law, including using a phone for emergency purposes and holding the cell near a person's ear for making, receiving, or conducting a call as long as the person does not manually enter numbers and letters.
Drivers can also use their phones when the vehicle is stopped.
Jessica Carter, who grew up in Hartville, said the number of tickets handed out by police in the village seems excessive.
"They're doing what they need to do, but it's a little overkill," she said. "Give warnings."
Her husband, Jimmy Carter, feels the village is motivated by making money.
"It sounds like a money grab to me. I can understand the safety aspect of it because a lot of people text and drive and they don't pay attention, but it does seem excessive for the amount of people here," he said.
Cheryl Marcelli, the clerk of the mayor's court, said that if a first-time offender declines to take a distracted driving class, the fines and court costs would total $202. Of that, $163 would go to Hartville. However, if the distracted driving class is completed, the $100 ticket citation would be waived, and the offender would only pay court costs.
Moore insisted the enforcement is not a cash grab.
"There are no apologies for the number of citations. We just want people to understand to obey the law, and then, there will be no tickets written. That's our goal," Moore said.
While Moore said the department is catching heat for the number of tickets issued, he is also taking time to educate people about what the law states.
"The big thing is you're not allowed to hold your phone in your hand and manipulate your phone in any way, shape or form."
He's also reminding drivers that texting isn't the only distraction.
"Between GPS, the apps, ordering your Starbucks, ordering your McDonald's— a whole lot of other things— than messaging," he said.
The chief is also trying to convince the village council to change Hartville's ordinance to "electronic handheld communication device prohibited while driving" to reinforce that tickets are not only given for texting while driving.
