|
Home Search |
Published on Friday, August 23, 2002
in the Orlando Sentinel
Rush-hour drivers on the Central Florida GreeneWay this morning were surprised when a construction driver pulled them over on the northbound lane.
The construction worker was actually a Florida Highway Patrol trooper dressed in blue jeans, T-shirt, orange traffic vest and hard hat.
"He was just one of the guys out there in the construction zone, except he had one additional piece of equipment," said FHP spokesman Lt. Chuck Williams. "He had a radar gun."
Although the idea of using a disguised law-enforcement officer has been used by other local agencies, it was the first time the state patrol has used it in Central Florida.
Williams said troopers posted on the northbound lane of the GreeneWay south of the University Road exit wrote 21 tickets before calling off the operation because of backed-up traffic on the southbound lane.
All the speeders were driving at 15 miles or more over the posted 55 mph construction zone limit, Williams said. Since fines in construction zones are doubled, drivers were ticketed with fines running from $270 to $520, he said.
A similar operation was being held in Volusia County as well.
Williams said drivers fail to understand how dangerous construction zones can be. He said there have been 106 crashes in the area monitored this morning.
More operations are planned.
"When people hear about this, it will plant a seed of doubt as to whether they're seeing a construction worker or a trooper," Williams said. "Paranoia can work for us."