Published: July 13, 2009 11:15 am      

W’burg police to participate in highway campaign

By Adam Sulfridge / Staff Writer

Beginning July 20 and ending July 31, the Williamsburg Police Department will participate in the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety’s “Blue Lights Across the Bluegrass” campaign.

Referred to as a “targeted traffic enforcement mobilization,” the purpose of the campaign is to crack down on motor vehicle operators who fail to obey the rules of the road. Citations will be written for any violation witnessed by officers, such as speeding or failing to signal.

This campaign isn’t something drivers should take lightly either.

“There won’t be any warnings,” said Williamsburg Public Affairs officer Shawn Jackson.

During the campaign, all officers will be working overtime, in much the same way that law enforcement presence on roadways increases during “Click It or Ticket” campaigns.

“I like seeing extra cops on our roadways, and I like seeing people pulled over too,” said one driver while filling up at a Williamsburg service station. Drivers, she said, “fly past me and don’t signal before they turn in front of me and seeing them on the side of the road makes me feel better, to know they eventually get caught for being so reckless.”

Ultimately, Jackson said, Williamsburg officers are “striving for excellence on our roads to see that roadways in Whitley County and all of Kentucky are safe.”

Funding to cover overtime hours worked by officers is provided by a mini-grant offered through Kentucky’s Office of Highway Safety.