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Many times law enforcement officers are confronted with citizen request for civil information, clarification of criminal law and ordinances, as well as refreshers in the transportation code that regulates how we are to drive. This information is not exclusive to new residents of the state, but information that is of equal importance to those of us who have lived in the area for quite some time.
The information provided by The Colony Police Department in this format is provided as a public service through an interactive process between our citizens and your police department.
The underlying purpose of this format is in following our department's belief that through education and a cooperative effort we can make a positive difference in our community. The responses to questions contained in this format are based on laws, ordinances and policies in force at the time the inquiry is made. At no time is the information provided to be considered as personal legal advice, or a substitute for proper legal representation.
- Commercial vehicles are prohibited from parking on city streets.
- Boats, trailers, and recreation vehicles are prohibited from parking on city streets.
- You may not repair any vehicle parked on a city street unless it is an emergency.
- You may not park within 10 feet of a mailbox Monday – Saturday 8:00a – 6:00p.
- You may not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk, or 30 feet of a stop or yield sign.
- All right side wheels of a vehicle must be within 18 inches of the curb and may not be facing traffic (state law).
- You may not park in your front yard.
- You may not park an abandoned motor vehicle on a city street or public property for more than 48 hours. An abandoned motor vehicle is a vehicle that is 5 years old or older and is inoperable parked on public property or, any vehicle that is illegally on public property for more than 48 hours or, on private property for more than 48 hours without the consent of the property owner or, a vehicle left unattended on a highway for more than 48 hours.
- You may sell one vehicle at a time if parked legally in front of a person's home. You may not sell a vehicle at a shopping center or on the side of the road.
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- Animals may not run at-large.
- Any animal must be on a leash or in a carrier while in a public place.
- Owners must prevent their animals from creating a disturbance for their neighbors by preventing barking, howling, or crowing.
- Owners are responsible for the removal of any excrement deposited by their animal.
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- The City of The Colony has a curfew for all persons under the age of 17. Sunday – Thursday, all persons under the age of 17 must be home by 11:00 p.m. They must remain home until 6:00 a.m. On Friday and Saturday nights, the time is extended by 1 hour. This means that all persons under the age of 17 must be home by midnight. There are exceptions to this ordinance. The exceptions can be found in Section 13 –33 of the Ordinance Manual.
- No one can have heaps of rubbish or trash on his or her property.
- You cannot burn trash.
- You may not have a scanner tuned to police or fire channels in your vehicle or on or about your person without a permit from the respective department.
- Grass and weeds must be no longer than 12 inches.
- You may not possess fireworks.
- You should not create any unreasonable noise for neighbors especially between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
- If you plan on having a garage sale, you are allowed to place no more than 2 signs, which must be on private property, 10 inches away from the curb. No signs are allowed on public property, telephone poles, or city easements.
- Children under 18 years of age may not possess dangerous weapons. Dangerous weapons, include firearms, illegal knives, clubs, air-guns (BB & pellet), bow and arrows, and slingshots.
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The law requires police agencies to investigate traffic accidents that result in injury or damage to property in excess of one thousand dollars. For most vehicles on the road today, you would be surprised at the relative small amount of visible damage one thousand dollars entails. The following are a few tips to follow if you are involved in a traffic accident.
- On busy roads with relative minor damage, and no injuries, move the vehicles out of the lane of traffic. Passing motorists may not be watching the road and the potential for a secondary collision is high.
- Notify police immediately. With the large number of cellular telephones on the road, the accident will most likely have already been reported. Be sure to ask someone to call the police for you just to be sure. Be sure of your actions taken if you decide to work the accident out between you and the other driver without the police. Once you have both left the accident scene, the ability to investigate the accident including identification of contributing factors is minimized.
- Responding police and fire personnel will first and foremost provide necessary aide to any injured persons. Additional police personnel will control traffic movement to prevent any secondary or subsequent collisions.
- A The Colony Police officer who responds to the accident will interview all parties involved, including witnesses, to begin the initial investigation. An inspection of any signals will also be done to eliminate the possibility of a malfunction as a cause.
- The officer investigating the accident will give the drivers involved an Accident Information Sheet to provide immediate access to information most needed by insurance carriers to file a claim.
- The officer will remain on the scene until a tow truck arrives, and accommodations have been made for both you and your vehicle.
Don't be dissuaded in filing an accident report trying to keep it off of your driver's license history. Even if the accident is not your fault, your driver's license history will show an "accident". However, it is better to explain the circumstances surrounding the accident to your insurance carrier, than to have false information given by the other driver who has now vanished leaving you with no recourse available.
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- If you have an alarm system that is meant to summon the police either by an audible tone or by being monitored by a company, you must obtain a permit from the police department.
- Alarm permits cost $20.00. This must be renewed each year based on the original registration date. If you change alarm companies or emergency contact information, the only thing you need to do is to fill out a new application. No fee will be collected for those changes. If you move to a new location, you will need to purchase a new alarm permit.
- You are allowed 3 false alarms per calendar year. There will be a $50.00 charge for the 4th and 5th, a $75.00 charge for the 6th and 7th, and anything over 7 is $100.00 charge. Multiple false alarms on the same day are only counted as one.
- The police department will not issue an alarm permit for a system with a recorded message notification system.
- Download Alarm Permit (PDF file)
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What is the difference between Restraining Orders, Protective Orders, and Peace Bonds?
The police department provided the service several years ago to help citizens who locked their keys in their cars. However, with the complex electric door locking systems on most cars today and new devices installed to prevent auto theft, this is now a job best left to a trained locksmith to avoid damage to vehicle door locking systems. However, there is an exception, when a child or person is locked inside a vehicle, we will dispatch a patrol officer along with an ambulance to try to get the person out of the vehicle as quickly as possible. During temperature extremes, it does not take very long for serious medical conditions to develop if the person is not removed from the vehicle in a timely manner.
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One of the scariest things is to believe there is someone in your home. Should you come home to an open home, DO NOT ENTER THE HOUSE! You should go to a neighbor's home, or if a cellular phone is available, get in your car and leave to a safe area. Call the police dispatcher on 911 and report your home is unsecured. The dispatcher will send officers to your home to be sure there is no one inside. You may see the officers draw their weapons before entering, this a normal practice when checking or "clearing" a house or building. Once there has been a determination there is no one in the home, you may accompany the officers inside to see if anything has been taken or disturbed.
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Contact your local police department as soon as possible to generate a police report. Even if the Identity Theft has taken place in another city or state, you will need to show proof you have made contact with a police agency.
You can view an information booklet on what you can do by clicking here (PDF file). You can click here if you need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.
For more answers to this rising crime, go to the Consumer ID Theft Web Site or ID Theft Center Web Site.
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We should determine first the definition of an emergency. Anything that compromises the safety of an individual or a crime in progress is a good general rule to use the 911 system. These include traffic accidents where people are hurt, assaults, fights, fires, and medical emergency calls. Our communications personnel dispatch for both police, fire, and E.M.S. We understand that in times of difficulty, 911 is the easiest number to remember. But it should be used only in true emergencies. You may no doubt talk to the same person on the other end of the telephone, but the 911 system can become overloaded if non-emergency calls are placed into the system. For non-emergency calls such as barking dogs, vehicle complaints or to report criminal offenses that have already occurred, or similar calls "not in progress," we would prefer that you use 972-625-1887 our non-emergency dispatch center number.
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Minors (under 17 years of age) may not visit prisoners in the city jail. Visiting hours are held from 9:00 a.m to 11:00 a.m daily. All persons requesting a jail visit are subject to search to maintain the security of the jail. Visitation are limited to ten minutes per visitor.
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Yes Article 545.302 of the Texas Transportation Code states in part that "An operator may not stop, stand, or park a vehicle on a sidewalk".
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To be legally operated on a public street or highway, a motor vehicle must have a certificate of title and be properly registered with the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT). In general, TXDOT does not authorize the issuance of certificates of title for mini motorcycles. Therefore, the mini motorcycles are not eligible for registration. The main reason is that the majority of mini motorcycles lack a manufacturer's certificate of origin or equivalent document which is required for titling. Also the vehicles do not meet the equipment standards required by federal and Texas law. In addition, only DPS-approved moped models may be registered in Texas. Currently, no mini motorcycle model is on the list of approved mopeds.
Some buyers have been told that mini motorcycles can be legally operated on low speed streets because they qualify as "motor assisted scooters" under Section 551.301, Transportation Code. However, under Section 551.301, a "motor assisted scooter" must have a "deck" on which the operator can stand and an engine not exceeding 40 cc. Mini motorcycles not only lack a deck for standing, but most models have an engine displacement exceeding the 40 cc limit.
Because mini motorcycles cannot currently be titled and registered, they cannot be legally operated on public streets and highways. Moreover, because mini motorcycles are "motor vehicles" they cannot be ridden on sidewalks.
And please, wear a safety helmet. For more information go to Texas Department of Public Safety.
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