I guess this article speaks for itself. Will the last person left in Iowa please turn out the lights.

By WILLIAM PETROSKI Register Staff Writer 09/20/1999 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Even if the Y2K bug knocks out electricity and telephone systems, state troopers in Iowa will still be able to write speeding tickets on Jan. 1.

The Iowa State Patrol plans to have 84 extra troopers on duty over the New Year's holiday weekend. They will be carrying outdated books to permit them to hand-write tickets for traffic violations, said Sgt. David Garrison, a patrol spokesman.

They also will be ready to handle any other trouble that arises, he added.

"We are very aware that there might be problems. Whether there will be or not, we can't predict that," Garrison said. "But we have pre-planned well enough ahead so that we will be organized if something does happen."

About 50 State Patrol cars have on-board computers to generate traffic tickets, and they've already been fixed for Year 2000 computer problems, Garrison said. Radar that is used to monitor the speed of cars and trucks is not date-sensitive. Neither is the patrol's digital radio communications system. So both should operate fine when the clock rolls over to Jan. 1, he said.

The Year 2000 problem developed because some older computer programs read only the last two digits of a year. If fixes aren't made, the computers could interpret 2000 as 1900 and malfunction.

In some respects, the patrol will approach the Y2K deadline like any other holiday weekend. Extra troopers are always on duty over holiday weekends, Garrison said. Furthermore, troopers and their supervisors recognize that as law enforcement officers, they are subject to being called to duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, he said.

State Patrol officials also are working with the Iowa Division of Emergency Management to prepare for the Y2K rollover period, Garrison said. If necessary, State Patrol supervisors will be on duty at the state's emergency operations center at Camp Dodge in Johnston, he said.

"We are always sure that we are prepared for any given emergency. This is another one," he said.

-- y2k dave (xsdaa111@hotmail.com), September 20, 1999

Answers

Writing speeding tickets will most likely be one of the last things the Iowa State Patrol will be concerned about next January. Literally.

-- cody (cody@y2ksurvive.com), September 20, 1999.