News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
McMinnville Police Department participates in “Operation Southern Slowdown” this week to further their efforts to reduce speeding-related accidents.
They join districts in Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina to better prepare officers and spread awareness about the dangers of speeding. McMinnville Patrol Officer Mark Mara said his department has run independent campaigns in past years before joining the multistate initiative.
“I can say for McMinnville we do have speeding problems and we have data that backs it up,” Mara said. “We have speed boxes that we put throughout the city whenever we get complaints about a speeding problem or if we see a number of crashes in a specific area.”
Mara said he hopes joining with other police forces across the south will strengthen their efforts and help them carry out speed-prevention protocols more effectively.
Mara said the program’s main course of action is to use the speed box data to find areas where speeding and crashes are prevalent. He said they then assign officers with more in-depth training to supervise the dangerous areas, asking them to operate for longer periods during the program’s run period.
“As with anything we really buy into it; we have our officers understand that we are trying to reduce crashes,” Mara said. “The biggest key factor that we have is speed is always related to these crashes, it seems like.”
Mara said the program is also meant to give people in the area a concrete signal that the police force is working to reduce speeding incidents. As well as warn the common offenders about committing any more incursions.
“We’d like them to know that we are working to try to make our roadways safer,” Mara said. “So people need to abide by the speed limit signs, and to do their part in trying to prevent crashes.”
The program will run until July 23rd, please contact the McMinnville Police Department for any further questions.
