Area NMSP officers issue 183 citations

New Mexico State Police Officer Elizabeth Whitfield fills out a speeding ticket next to her police car on I-40 Wednesday night. New Mexico State police are performing saturation patrols throughout the Thanksgiving holiday and hope their presence will help reduce speeding and drunken driving. [Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent]

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Local New Mexico State Police officers issued 183 traffic citations and arrested three drunken drivers on Wednesday as part of their effort to keep roadways safe on what is coined the busiest travel day of the year.

Seventeen state police officers from the Gallup and Grants districts saturated Interstate 40 to keep motorists in check as they drove to their holiday destinations. New Mexico is one of seven states that took part in the federally funded Combined Accident Reduction Effort, or C.A.R.E.

The operation's goal is to station a police officer every 10 miles along Interstate 40 throughout the heavily traveled day leading up to Thanksgiving. Nationally, the operation spans more than 2,500 miles of interstate from Wilmington, N.C. to Barstow, Calif.

In a period of 10 hours 2 p.m. to midnight local state police officers issued 183 citations for violations, which included traffic and child restraint offenses, according to Sgt. James Lehner.

Officers also apprehendedthree alleged drunken drivers and arrested three people for misdemeanor offenses, which included an outstanding bench warrant and an illegal driver's license.

Officer Liz Whitfield, who was designated to patrol the portion of interstate that travels through Gallup, issued three speeding citations in less than an hour on Wednesday night and still had time to assist a stranded motorist. All of the drivers where caught speeding about 10 miles above the posted speed limit of 65 mph. Whitfield said motorists often forget to slow down once they reach city limits.

"I'll cut them a little break usually, but still issue a citation, so they'll know to be safe when coming through town," Whitfield said.

On a routine day, state police officers patrol the interstate and respond to calls for assistance within both the county and city limits. But during Operation C.A.R.E, the officers were devoted almost entirely to patrol of the interstate.

Whitfield said she patrols the interstate to lessen the occurrence of serious traffic accidents.

"We want drivers to be safe and know that we (police officers) are out here," she said.

Lehner called the local portion of the operation a success and said there were no serious incidents on the interstate during the patrol. North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and California law enforcement agencies also took part in the operation nationwide.