By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Warsaw Police recently began using a new approach to patrolling U.S. 30 for speeders.
Recently, officers with the Warsaw Police Department used a new enforcement detail called the “Visible Speed Enforcement Teams Grant,” or VSET.
This grant is funded by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and offered to officers to work above and beyond normal duty hours. Typically, officers will work these before or after a shift, so concentration is solely on the purpose of the grant work.
The intent of this grant is to reduce injuries and fatalities of crashes related to speed, according to a news release from Warsaw Police.
The use of spotters is not new. It’s often used xxxx
Capt. Brad Kellar, information officer for WPD, said this use of spotters by Warsaw is different because its done with grant money.
“Typically, each officer goes out on his own and generates activity. This is a group effort for this one,” Kellar said. “I’ve seen spotters used on the interstates with state patrols more so than anything else.”
This project is intended to decrease speed-related crashes.
This project relies on a spotter using handheld lasers in a fixed position along the roadway.
Spotters identify vehicles exceeding posted speed and notify multiple officers awaiting at a predetermined location.
Warsaw officers worked on this as a team of four. During a 4-hour stretch late last week, 29 citations were issued for speeding, with the majority of those logged between 15 and 20 miles over the posted speed limits.
Officers worked various locations along U.S. 30 for eastbound and westbound traffic in the area between Meijer Drive and Springhill Road as well as westbound traffic on the east side approaching the city limits.
In addition to speed citations, officers also made a criminal drug arrest during this detail.
Some of the requirements of the VSET program are that officers must work with a minimum of three officers at a time, must focus on “speed-related” offenses, and spotter-type enforcement is preferred.
Enforcement areas are limited to interstate highways, state roads, and U.S. routes, or local/city roads that are multi-directional and have multiple lanes in each direction with a divided center, such as grass or concrete island.
Warsaw officers plan to work additional patrol shifts using increased manpower.
This project is slated to run until the end of September.
We encourage all to be mindful of careful driving along U.S. 30 this summer. Within the rural areas, the speed limit is 60 mph. However, as you approach the city limits, those limits decrease all the way to 45 mph due to the traffic lights and congestion.
Warsaw Police Department continues to offer overtime to officers to enforce all laws along U.S. 30 in the city throughout the summer.
