It was a busy Tuesday morning for Officers Funez and Watkins of the Fredericksburg Police Department.
According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, the pair of patrol officers issued ten tickets in two hours in downtown Fredericksburg this morning. The infractions included eight for using a phone while driving, one for driving without a license and one for a loud exhaust.
The effort was part of normal operations for the Patrol Division and not any increased enforcement or the Click It or Ticket Campaign, according to department Public Information Officer Sarah Morris. Whenever call volume allows, officers are eager to provide additional traffic enforcement.
“Anytime there’s an opportunity for them to do any type of traffic detail, especially in a pedestrian area like downtown, the officers jump at the opportunity.”
Last spring, the Fredericksburg City Council approved lowering the speed limit from 25 miles to 20 miles per hour on blocks with high foot traffic, including sections of Sophia, Caroline, Lafayette and William streets. This measure accompanied new traffic signals, crosswalk bollards and other measures to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe.
The Click It or Ticket Campaign is an initiative by law enforcement around the country to encourage and enforce seatbelt and child seat safety laws every year. It ends June 4th.