From Orlando Sentinel

Orange County Sheriff's Office targets law-breaking motorists

| Sentinel Staff Writer

5:12 PM EDT, July 1, 2008

uncle sam

Dressed as Uncle Sam, Orange County Sherriff's Deputy Corporal Jerry
Hagan spots and calls red-light runners on the corner of Hoeffner Avenue
and Conway Road south of Orlando on Tuesday, July 3, 2007.
The Sheriff's
Office is using Uncle Sam again this week to catch speeders and red-light
runners at intersections around the county. (GARY W GREEN, ORLANDO
SENTINEL
/ July 2, 2007)

If you were driving near Pine Hills Road and State Road 50 this morning chances are you saw Uncle Sam handing out traffic tickets.

The man in the red, white and blue costume was a deputy sheriff, part of the Orange County Sheriff's Office's "July 4th Traffic Safety Detail" targeting red-light runners, speeders, drunk drivers and other law-breaking motorists this week.

Putting Uncle Sam on the road "attracts attention to what we're trying to accomplish out there," sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said.

The traffic campaign started Monday morning at Curry Ford Road and Arbor View Boulevard, where 110 speeding citations were given out.

Deputies handed out 85 citations to speeders Monday afternoon on State Road 50 near Christmas.

In this morning's campaign, deputies caught 71 drivers running red lights, Solomons said.

One driver, a repeat traffic offender, was arrested.

More than 100 drivers were cited this afternoon for speeding during a check point on State Road 408 at the Pine Hills Road exit, Solomons said.

Two more speed enforcement checks are planned for Wednesday, but the locations were not released. Deputies also will be looking for drunk drivers in south Orange County Thursday.

Starting Friday they will work along highways that lead to beaches, Solomons said.

"Unfortunately we know a lot of people drive to the beach, drink and party, then get back on the road," Solomons said.