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Police cracking down on excessive speeding at troubled intersection

114 tickets issued in 3 hours at intersection
Posted at 11:24 PM, May 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-17 23:24:37-04

Police officers are using a new tactic to crack down on excessive speeding in Lakeland.  

Parents in the area fear their children are at risk by reckless drivers. 

"Quick, fast-moving, fast-paced, people are in too much of a hurry," said Randy Chupp. 

A group of Lakeland police officers armed with radar guns and patience took over the intersection of Cleveland Heights Boulevard and Oriole Road. 

"Something needs to be done to slow this down because nobody seems to be listening to us or law enforcement," said Chupp. 

Lakeland police say operation "Slow Your Roll" isn't about speed traps or ticket revenue, it's yet another attempt to fix a dangerous problem.  

"We've had a radar trailer out here, that hasn't deterred them," said officer David Waterman. "We've had people out here almost everyday writing tickets, that hasn't deterred them."

According to the Lakeland Police Department, about half of the 50,000 weekly drivers at this intersection speed 10 mph or more. 

"It's a shame," said Chupp. 

Chupp is fed up with drivers zooming by just steps from his front door. He believes it's only a matter of time before a pedestrian or child is seriously hurt.

"Unless you've been here for a little while, you're not aware of how fast some of this traffic is moving."

Lakeland officers issued 114 tickets in just three hours Tuesday, the first day of the targeted enforcement. 

"I hope it just makes people more aware of their surroundings and realize that we all have to live here together, so we need to work together," said Chupp. 

Lakeland officers responded to 28 deadly crashes in 2016. That's a record high for the city.