ME- Speeders, beware; patrols gaining momentum 9/15

The Waldo County Sheriff's Department has won a $3,095 grant from the Bureau of Highway Safety to conduct speed enforcement patrols through Sept. 15.

The first patrol last weekend in the Unity and Troy area resulted in 25 stops for speeding, 10 of which led to summonses and 15 to warnings.

Chief Deputy Bob Keating said speeding is the most common complaint among county residents. "Speeding is really on the increase," he said, "not just eight or 10 miles over the limit, but 20, 25, 30 and 35 miles over, and that's ridiculous."

The department will assign three-person crews to areas that have received the most citizen complaints or have seen the highest incidence of criminal speeding, or 30 miles over the speed limit, said Keating said, who would not divulge the locations.

The grant money will pay officers to work overtime to handle the patrols, which will use both marked and unmarked vehicles. "We hope to slow people down and reduce accidents," he said.

The department will run 13 patrols through mid-September, he said. Deputies recently completed a seatbelt enforcement program that Keating said was very successful.