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Published on Monday, March 22, 2004
in the Florida Today
MELBOURNE -- Just down the road, behind the guardrail, standing on a patch of grass, Officer Mark Jennewein was waiting.
For several minutes, cars zipped along U.S. 1 until Jennewein got a clear hit on his Pro Laser III radar gun.
"Green Honda . . . outside lane," the Melbourne officer said into his radio microphone, hanging from his shoulder.
Before long, another driver was on the side of the road, explaining himself.
It was like that most of Monday as 14 officers from the Melbourne Police Department, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Highway Patrol kicked off a two-day campaign dubbed Operation Speed Bump. In their first hour, they wrote 102 tickets on a four-mile stretch of U.S. 1 from Post to Aurora roads.
The crackdown is aimed at curbing aggressive driving along the newly widened section of the highway. The speed limit is 45 mph.
"Their goal is to do this on a regular basis, not to be ticket monsters but to slow people down" said Yvonne Martinez, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.
The area is known for excessive speeds and has been the site of five fatal crashes in the last two years, mostly while the highway was under construction.
Three people were arrested Monday, including two who police said were racing southbound at 87 mph and 107 mph about 2 p.m. near Rivercrest Plaza.
They were given court dates and released, said Sean Riordan, a Melbourne police spokesman.
Riordan said no tricks -- like disguised officers or plain-clothes cops -- will be used. "That's an option we have, but we're not going to do that," he said.
The concentrated patrols, even for a short period, were welcomed by 42-year-old John Batts.
Batts sat on the porch of his home in the Tambiles Apartment and watched as vehicle after vehicle was pulled over, sometimes five or more at a time.
"It's just constant traffic all day long and a lot of speeding," Batts said. "Trying to get across the road is just murder."