FYI: All Alabama State Troopers on overtime writing tickets this week.

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mike_s

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FYI everyone, Thinking of speeding in Alabama this week? don't....


Well, using grants for overtime, every State Trooper in the state is on Overtime as part of the twice annual "Take Back Our Highways" Blitz to slow down speeders.


I saw 8 state troopers this morning in a 2 mile stretch and they ALL had someone pulled over writing tickets. So they are targeting specific areas, then moving to othe specific areas (like they've done in the past.). Then I saw several more afterwards in different places... The local cops, not wanting to be left out, seems to be trying to add to it with speed traps along the same stretch.

They have 625 State troopers on duty this week.

Lots of them in un-marked cars that I saw this morning that had people pulled over with concealed lights but a uniformed trooper out writting the ticket.


In the "Blitzes" last year, they wrote 46,000 tickets during two one week periods. So I don't think any of them were giving "warnings".


just FYI to everyone. Putting in Deep Dixie Divers because that's the area that it affects.

oh.... read this for more info.

625 troopers out on state highway safety blitz - al.com

-Mike


EDIT: This is too funny not to share... it looks like the State Trooper Association page got "hacked" also.. http://www.alabamastatetrooper.com/
 
On our way back from ABWA a few weeks ago, we counted 13 troupers on south bound side with blue lights flashing, each with a car pulled over ... and on down the interstate a bit, we saw 1 more on his way somewhere quickly. They were around the Culman exit 310.

Those guys do come out in numbers on "special occassions", don't they? :)
 
Thanks Mike, I'll be in Pelham this w/end teaching a class....they already like the 20 for tickets so I'll be on the look out.
 
Perl Diver,

They actually do this as part of a program they fund with federal grants. They call it "Take Back our Highways". Plug that into Google Search and you'll find all kinds of info on it Take Back Our Highways - Google Search

Cullman County stastically has the highest number of accidents in the state (according to some news story I saw last year).. I'm not sure if that is total numbers, or amount per capita, or just amount of either on I-65. so they hit Cullman County the hardest sometimes with these blitzes.


cerich:
Thanks Mike, I'll be in Pelham this w/end teaching a class....they already like the 20 for tickets so I'll be on the look out.

I don't know where they will be on I-20. But I'd watch around LEEDS. They seem to hang out there anytime I'm going through there.
 
Here is the official announcement from the AL Dept of Public Safety

from http://dps.alabama.gov/appDocuments/Documents/News Release/RileyDPSTBOHighway2008.pdf




NEWS RELEASE
Alabama Department of Public Safety
courtesy • service • protection since 1935
for more information contact:
Public Information/Education • P.O. Box 1511 • Montgomery AL 36102-1511
(334) 242-4445 • Alabama Department of Public Safety

Gov. Riley, Public Safety Announce ‘Take Back Our Highways’ Campaign
State Troopers Set Sights on DUI, Seat Belt Violations, Aggressive Driving


MONTGOMERY — Gov. Bob Riley announced that more than 125 additional
state troopers will hit the roads Aug. 18-24, ramping up DUI, seat belt and aggressive
driving enforcement during a statewide “Take Back Our Highways” traffic safety
campaign.

Public Safety Director Col. J. Christopher Murphy joined the governor at a
Montgomery news conference to unveil plans for the traffic safety and enforcement
effort, which DPS successfully pioneered last year to combat Alabama’s rising fatality
rate. Trooper-worked fatalities dropped by 62 in 2007, and troopers have worked 93
fewer fatalities this year, compared with the same period last year.

“‘Take Back Our Highways’ is clearly working to save lives. It has gotten real
results. There are people alive today because of this intensive highway safety effort. We
want the people of Alabama to understand that when they travel, their safety is our
number one concern,” said Riley.

The governor said the Mississippi and Tennessee highway patrols and Alabama
sheriff and police departments also will join state troopers in the initiative to save lives
and increase traffic safety.

Since the initial “Take Back Our Highways” campaign in August 2007, rural
traffic crashes, deaths and injuries have declined significantly, said Murphy. “We have
saved more than 150 lives in the last 18 months because of the work of our state troopers.
With innovative programs like ‘Take Back Our Highways,’ we are making a difference
for Alabama.”

Murphy said Public Safety is not content with the recent gains in highway safety
and that troopers remain focused on changing driving behavior to increase safety. “Too
many Alabamians die or are seriously injured on our roadways in preventable crashes,”
he said. “Too many motorists are the victims of drunken drivers, and fully two-thirds of
the fatality victims troopers have responded to this year were not using seat belts.”
Murphy said every available trooper, including approximately 125 from divisions
other than Highway Patrol, will be patrolling during the week-long blitz, enforcing traffic
laws and assisting motorists statewide. “We will have troopers from every rank and every
division, including Driver License and ABI, in uniform and on the road Aug. 18-25,” he
said.

Troopers will utilize proven enforcement initiatives, including line patrols,
checkpoints and saturation patrols, concentrating their efforts on high-traffic, high-crash
corridors. In addition to DUI, seat belt and child restraint enforcement, troopers will
target other driving behaviors that place motorists at greatest risk. These are speeding,
failure to yield the right of way, following too closely, and driver inattention.
DPS also will roll out the first of nine new “BAT Mobiles” during the initiative,
placing into service two of the specially equipped DUI enforcement assets that will be
assigned to trooper DUI task forces statewide. The “BAT Mobiles” are equipped with
custom breath alcohol testing gear, provided by the Department of Forensic Sciences, and
other equipment needed to process impaired drivers and gather evidence for court. They
are funded by $1.4 million in grants awarded by the governor and administered through
the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
“Thanks to Gov. Riley, ADECA and Forensic Sciences, troopers will be able to
test suspected impaired drivers on the spot, increasing effectiveness and saving both time
and money,” said Murphy.

Throughout the traffic safety campaign, troopers will use the “BAT Mobiles” at
sobriety checkpoints to test the blood alcohol content of impaired drivers.

Aug. 13, 2008
 
State troopers write nearly 3,800 tickets on Monday

from State troopers write nearly 3,800 tickets on Monday - Breaking News from The Birmingham News - al.com

State troopers write nearly 3,800 tickets on Monday
Posted by Ginny MacDonald -- Birmingham News August 19, 2008 10:50 AM

Alabama state troopers wrote 3,798 traffic tickets Monday on the first day of the third statewide Take Back Our Highways campaign.

This week's blitz is focusing on aggressive and impaired driving: 1,735 of the tickets were for speeding, improper lane change or following too close, while 14 arrests were for driving under the influence.

Troopers also made 68 non-traffic arrests.

There were no fatal wrecks worked by troopers Monday, but there were 63 crashes across the state.

Monday's tally included 169 warning tickets for speeding; six for improper seat belt or child restraint use; 46 for driver license violations and 178 for other traffic offense.

Troopers made 4,553 contacts with motorists which included 99 assists, 32 incident reports and 94 truck inspections.
 
Thanks for the heads up! I usually hit 85-100mph on my way to /from Pelham...that would have been one helluva speeding ticket!
 
On our way back from ABWA a few weeks ago, we counted 13 troupers on south bound side with blue lights flashing, each with a car pulled over ... and on down the interstate a bit, we saw 1 more on his way somewhere quickly. They were around the Culman exit 310.

Those guys do come out in numbers on "special occassions", don't they? :)

What they are doing in Cullman is a little different. They're using lasers to check for vehicles following too close (and speeding, of course) but I believe they are writing more for following too close than for speeding. One vehicle runs the laser, and notifies the other cars which vehicles need to be stopped and ticketed.

It always amazes me to see how close people will follow another vehicle at 80mph. There are no "fender benders" on the interstate. You take a hit out there, and you go to either the hospital or the funeral home.
 
Thanks for the heads up! I usually hit 85-100mph on my way to /from Pelham...that would have been one helluva speeding ticket!

hmmm... maybe that would explain the Miata stuck up in the tree limbs....

reference http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/de...-turns-out-diving-safer-than-driving-car.html



What they are doing in Cullman is a little different. They're using lasers to check for vehicles following too close (and speeding, of course) but I believe they are writing more for following too close than for speeding. One vehicle runs the laser, and notifies the other cars which vehicles need to be stopped and ticketed.


That's sorta what I saw this morning but in a different spot. I saw only one state trooper that iddn't have someone pulled over and he was up before the rest of them hiding behind a ultility station. The others down the road had them pulled over.

Then I saw one leave one "ticket victum" and pull another over as it went by... so I was wondering if they are radio'ing in the speeders from the one that was parked.


I've also seen it where they've had 5 or 6 state troopers all in "one area" (of a mile or two) and they all had someone pulled over.
 
That's sorta what I saw this morning but in a different spot. I saw only one state trooper that iddn't have someone pulled over and he was up before the rest of them hiding behind a ultility station. The others down the road had them pulled over.

Then I saw one leave one "ticket victum" and pull another over as it went by... so I was wondering if they are radio'ing in the speeders from the one that was parked.

I've also seen it where they've had 5 or 6 state troopers all in "one area" (of a mile or two) and they all had someone pulled over.

Yep, that's how it's done.
 

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