A speed awareness initiative is scheduled to take place from August 26 – 30th on both Veterans Blvd and SR 776. In addition to targeting speed violations, deputies will be looking for violators of the Move Over Law. This initiative is the result of traffic enforcement requests that have been submitted over the past several weeks through our website and mobile app.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Safety Team monitors enforcement requests and complaints from the public. After a traffic complaint is entered into the system, a member of the Traffic Unit is scheduled to monitor the area. “When someone submits a complaint, adding the time of the violations is very helpful,” states Traffic Corporal Dave Stefanini. “This allows me to send deputies to locations at the time they are most likely to observe violations.” The Traffic Unit members document their activity in the report generated by the complaint, so that the person requesting enforcement is able to request the results.
When a location requires monitoring and a deputy is not available, equipment is placed at the location to conduct a speed study. The study is evaluated to determine a need for enforcement by looking at the data collected. The location of speed studies and individual enforcement by Traffic Unit members are not publicized so that an accurate picture of the problem can be captured.
The Traffic Safety Team recently collected data from two separate locations in Charlotte County, Veterans Blvd and SR 776. While no major speeding concerns were identified during the week-long study, deputies are moving forward with an awareness initiative to target the reported speeding violations. The enhanced enforcement period will cover the week of Monday, August 26 through Friday, August 30, 2019.
During this initiative, deputies will be using both marked and unmarked vehicles as part of the operation. The unmarked vehicles allow deputies to blend in with traffic to assist in identifying traffic violations such as reckless or distracted driving. Unmarked vehicles are easily identifiable as law enforcement with the activation of emergency equipment.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office encourages the public to submit information regarding areas of the county that may need additional traffic enforcement. The online form is located on our website at the following link: https://www.ccso.org/forms/default.cfm#TrafficRequest. You can also “Submit a Tip” through our mobile app.
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