More than 150 tickets issued in first 6 days of K-15 special traffic enforcement, cops say

When cops in Sedgwick County announced drivers could expect strict enforcement of traffic laws on K-15 highway this month, they weren’t joking.

Sheriff’s deputies, Derby police and Mulvane police have combined to write 184 tickets in six days, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday in a Facebook post.

That doesn’t include the number of citations issued by the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Wichita Police Department. Trooper Chad Crittenden said data won’t be available until the enforcement ends, and Wichita police spokesmen did not return a request for comment.

Crittenden said many state troopers haven’t begun their special enforcement efforts because they are working at the state fair. The Highway Patrol’s presence along K-15 will increase later in the month as fair activities end.

The five law enforcement agencies are partnering for a month-long traffic safety campaign along the highway. Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Myers said last week that officers will be watching for seat belt violations and drivers under the influence of alcohol, but drivers can expect strict enforcement of all traffic laws.

“We are doing this in an effort to get people to slow down and save lives,” the sheriff’s office Facebook post said.

In the past year, deputies responded to 220 crashes along K-15 between MacArthur and 95th Street South, the sheriff’s office said. That’s about 7 miles of highway.

Money from traffic fines does not directly fund the sheriff’s office or Highway Patrol, the Facebook post said. All traffic fines collected by district courts go to the state treasury, the Highway Patrol’s website states. About 34 percent of the money goes to specific programs while the rest goes to the state’s general fund.

The Sept. 1-30 campaign is supported by a Kansas Department of Transportation grant.