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@MCSOInTheKnow
Last week the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Safety Team conducted a traffic enforcement operation focused in the French Prairie area. Deputies spent 4 hours during the afternoon commute on June 26th and 4 hours during morning commute on June 28th enforcing traffic laws related to dangerous driving habits. This area of Marion County has experienced multiple traffic fatalities during 2019 and continues to be an area of focus for the Sheriff’s Office with enhanced traffic patrols.
In preparation for this enforcement operation, the Sheriff’s Office issued a media release telling the community about the upcoming focused patrols in an effort to bring awareness to dangerous driving habits. Earlier in the month, we collaborated with our partners at the Oregon Farm Bureau, ODOT, and local farmers by participating in a press conference at a local farm to deliver additional traffic safety messages. Prior to and during this traffic enforcement operation, Marion County Public Works set up portable message trailers warning drivers about the safety patrols. This was the second traffic enforcement operation conducted in the French Prairie area to focus on commute times in the last 6 weeks.
Despite the extensive efforts to educate drivers of the dangers of aggressive driving habits, deputies still made 84 traffic stops and issued 116 citations along with 8 warnings. Of those citations, 68 were for speeding. Deputies reported speeds as high as 98 mph were encountered in addition to one driver going 60 mph in a 25 mph zone through St. Paul.
As we enter the holiday week, the Sheriff’s Office will be continuing with focused patrols around the French Prairie area. We will also be utilizing grants from the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association to add DUII patrols during the annual St. Paul Rodeo.
We would like to thank Marion County Public Works, Oregon Department of Transportation, the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association and our community stakeholders for their continued efforts to promote traffic safety in Marion County.
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This week the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Safety Team will again be focusing their efforts in the French Prairie area of Marion County. On June 26th and 28th, deputies will be conducting a traffic enforcement operation during the morning and evening commutes. This area of Marion County experiences a heavy amount of commuter traffic along multiple roadways including; Highway 219, River Road, French Prairie Road, McKay Road, Yergen Road and Ehlen Road.
Driving habits such as speeding, cell phone use, unsafe passing, and following too close have all been identified as contributing factors to serious injury and fatal traffic crashes throughout Marion County. Year to date in 2019, there have been 12 fatalities as a result of crashes on Marion County roadways. The most recent fatal crash was on June 16th in the French Prairie area.
This enforcement operation is part of an ongoing effort by the Sheriff’s Office to work collaboratively with our community stakeholders to improve traffic safety in the French Prairie area. In May of this year, the Sheriff’s Office did a similar enforcement operation which resulted in 106 traffic stops being made in an 8 hour period and the issuance of 146 citations. Over 90 of those citations were for speeding.
The Sheriff’s Office wants to encourage drivers to slow down and drive responsibly. This traffic enforcement operation is being funded by a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation.