Dallas police target speeders - rolling roadblocks on freeways (graphic illustration included)

The Dallas Morning News ^ | January 13, 2003 | By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA-TV and ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News

[MeekOneGOP]

Dallas police target speeders

01/13/2003

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA-TV and ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News

Dallas motorists who have been getting away with their own rules of the road should beware: Dallas police say they've had enough.

Chief Terrell Bolton Monday announced one of the toughest traffic crackdowns the department has ever launched.

Starting this week, teams of motorcycle officers and others in specially marked Chevrolet Camaros will be conducting rolling roadblocks on freeways and interstates around the city. The officers ride side-by-side across the traffic lanes and drive the speed limit, forcing motorists trailing behind to slow down to the legal posted speed.

"The cavalry is coming over the hill," Chief Bolton said. "For those people that willingly run red lights and stop signs, we're going to write you up. I'm telling these officers to have zero tolerance."

Dallas police squad cars will monopolize all lanes to slow speeders.
(WFAA-TV)

In city school zones, about 30 patrol officers will be helping the department’s traffic division to enforce posted limits in school zones.

Chief Bolton said the department’s coming year will be marked by an emphasis on making streets safer.

"People are going to have to get ready," he said. "We’re going to tighten it up."

Street and highway accidents claimed 169 lives in Dallas last year; many resulted from excess speed.

Dallas police say their primary goal is to save lives.

E-mail: mrazzuk@wfaa.com and rtharp@dallasnews.com

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/latestnews/stories/wfaa030113_wz_dpdspeed.1bf4815b.html

[renosathug]

Seems to me that will cause nothing but a big jam up and lots of rear-end crashes, in which people may indeed be killed. Don't these fellows have criminals to catch? Geez Louise!

[al_c]

I think that the speed limit for IH-635 from IH-35E to HWY 121 is 95 mph for either direction.

And that's the slow lane. But it starts way out at IH-20, not 35E. ;o)

[Poohbah]

One might wonder though if their time might be more productively spent on real crime prevention or catching the bad guys...

Tell ya what: if I were mayor of Dallas, I'd forgo ALL traffic enforcement for a year, and see where the relative totals land up.

I'd bet you'd probably lose far more people to boneheaded driving than you'd save in terms of murders prevented.

[mewzilla]

I take it you've never lost a family member to someone exceeding the speed limit.

[MeekOneGOP]

I could easily squeeze between them on my 1000cc Kawasaki. :)

lol ! I'll bet.

How 'bout you Max?...

[Robert A Cook PE]

Dallas must want more revenue from tickets.

[Fred Mertz]

"The cavalry is coming over the hill," Chief [I'm a Power Freek] Bolton said.

This won't last long and is a waste of resources, and besides that it doesn't generate any revenue.

[Poohbah]

Police have no authority to tell people what to do, in a non-emergency situation.

That and $95 will get a good laugh from the judge...

Actually, he goes to the common-law court in his trailer park, where a group of cammie-clad losers distinguished Constitutional scholars will rule in his favor...

[RightWhale]

One might wonder though if their time might be more productively spent on real crime prevention or catching the bad guys

Looks like, in the illustrative picture, they caught a whole passel of bad guys.

[Melinas_Man]

I was thinking the same thing except on a Honda. If even one of them chased you it would open up a lane for the rest of the people. It would be like performing a public service (maybe not in the judge's eyes).

[babaloo999]

Heh, sounds like I-20 east of town. That's a major speedway/racetrack. You get the same complaints about idiot drivers, nascar wannabes, etc. everywhere. It's the same anyplace I've ever been.

[Henrietta]

ping

[Hatteras]

"Police have no authority to tell people what to do, in a non-emergency situation."

YEAH! I think you should pull up behind them and give 'em a few whacks on the bumper, lay on your horn and tell them to LEAD OR FOLLOW, BUT GIT THE HELL OUTTA THE WAY!!!

THAT should teach 'em...

I don't think you should stand for it, go ahead...

[dirtboy]

I take it you've never lost a family member to someone exceeding the speed limit.

And how is this going to catch them? Unless the cops wish to run this rolling blockade 24-7, the blantant aggressive drivers and speeders will simply be a quarter mile back in the resulting jam (assuming they haven't plowed into the back of it), wondering what is causing the delay, and as soon as the cops exit, they'll be back to their usual mayhem. Better to put more cops on patrol in unmarked cars and let them nail the miscreants as they go flying by or run right up on their rear bumper.

[renosathug]

Speeding, per se, does not cause crashes. It's the difference in speed, along with sudden stops, lane changes and inattention.

In my opinion, having the police "escort" traffic, as in a funeral procession, they are going to cause some funerals. This is because of driver inattention.
And the police are just going to make those freeways giant parking lots.

[Vic3O3]

ping...

[Spirited]

"Don't these fellows have criminals to catch?"
Nahhhh. The criminals can now breathe a collective sigh of relief knowing where the cops are engaged. Just watch the other statistics to see to what degree the force is favoring the felons.

[underdog]

Why is it that there is no traffic in the next set of lanes? Could it be because it's moving freely due to having no road blocks?

You'd think they'd have better things to do.

[mewzilla]

Well, speeding killed our family member. I will never understand people who put others at risk by engaging in stupid and selfish behavior.

[Semaphore Heathcliffe]

The Dallas cops would be better off looking for people going 15 mph over the average speed and targeting aggressive drivers.

much simpler for the cops to force everyone to drive the state-approved limit. Like cracking down on all gun-owners instead of just the criminals.