CAMP COUNTY, Texas (KETK) – The Camp County Sheriff’s Office completed Operation Slow Down on Tuesday night.

In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office said they made 189 traffic stops on speeders while patrolling a section of Highway 271 south of town and a portion of FM 557. The sections of roads patrolled were designated by TxDOT based on accident history, CCSO said.

Of the 189 stops, 102 citations were written and 87 warnings were issued. In addition to that, two arrests were made. Officials said several drivers were driving over 90 miles per hour before they were stopped.

“A 2017 Mercedes was stopped for speeding, doing 89 in a 70 mile per hour zone, and when the dispatcher ran the VIN number, it came back as stolen from Dallas,” Sheriff John Cortelyou said. “That driver was arrested, and his passenger was written a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia.”

Authorities arrested the second person when they discovered the driver had an outstanding warrant from Titus County.

“We think the sheriff’s office’s participation in this program made a difference,” Cortelyou said. “We know local folks were aware of our increased presence, especially on Highway 271. One deputy who worked a four-hour shift late in the program had a hard time finding anyone on that stretch of roadway going more than a few miles over the speed limit. That is exactly the result we wanted. The goal wasn’t to see how many tickets we could issue; the goal was to slow down traffic in hopes of preventing an accident.”

According to the press release, deputies showed goodwill in several instances.

“We are always proud of the way our deputies serve this community, but it was evident the last two weeks when it was documented for this TxDOT project,” Sheriff Cortelyou said. “Camp County deputies helped with four motorists assists, including helping change a tire. A deputy also took time out to assist another agency.”

The sheriff urged residents to be especially aware of their speed since so much traffic through the county is not local. Out of 189 stops, only 48 drivers had a Camp County address.

“Of course, many of them were from Mount Pleasant and Gilmer, but they stopped vehicles from everywhere across the state. Several were from out of state,” Cortelyou said.

Last year in Texas, speed was a contributing factor in more than 163,000 roadway crashes, resulting in 1,532 deaths—34% of all traffic fatalities in the state. Speed is the number one factor in roadway crashes in Texas, and speed increases the risk of death and serious injury when a collision occurs.

Camp County Sheriff’s Office