OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — As the weather gets nicer the Douglas County Sheriffs Office says speeding is more common. In January 2024, 155 total citations were given. Fast forward to July that same year — 466 total.
- Over the weekend, the Community Action Team received a complaint regarding speeders on 90th between Blondo and West Dodge.
- To get ahead of trends in reckless driving behavior, the CAT Team prioritizes week long enforcement at hot spots identified by accident trends and neighbor complaints.
- This enforcement has had an impact. Between 2023 and 2024, these hot spots policed by deputies saw a 10% decrease in traffic fatalities.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Jill Lamkins, your Northwest Omaha reporter at 90th and Blondo — one of the recent hot spots the Douglas County Sheriff's Office is cracking down on to catch speeders. As the weather continues to slowly warm up, the DCSO Community Action Team is taking extra measures to ensure driver safety.
Over the weekend, the Community Action Team received a complaint regarding speeders on 90th between Blondo and West Dodge.
In just three hours, 17 citations were issued.
This time of year, Lieutenant Tim Owens says speeds tend to increase as the weather gets nicer and more neighbors spend time outside.
"We don't see it in the winter, but now you have to look for your bicyclists, your motorcyclists, you know, people out enjoying a run now. So the roads are actually getting busier," said Lt. Owens.
To learn more, I asked the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to pull some stats.
In January 2024, 155 total citations were given. Fast forward to July that same year — 466 total.
To get ahead of trends in reckless driving behavior, the CAT Team prioritizes week long enforcement at hot spots identified by accident trends and neighbor complaints.
"People are out and about. They know their neighborhoods better than we do, right? So, we get emails, we see the comments on social media, and then we adjust and look at those intersections as well."
This enforcement has had an impact. Between 2023 and 2024, these hot spots policed by deputies saw a 10% decrease in traffic fatalities.
"Enforcement efforts, citations, visible deterrence by seeing cops on the roadway changes driving behaviors. People slow down, they stop for those stop signs, they think about running it."
It's a constant effort to try and reduce dangerous driving.
"We don't want to see any tragedies on the road this summer, so anything we can do to keep the roads a little bit safer, we're gonna do that," said Lt. Owens.
