By Vernon Robison
Moapa Valley Robison
Law enforcement officers from all over the region worked together on a speed control project which took place Thursday on the stretch of I-15 between the Hidden Valley exit and Logandale/Overton Exit 93.
The coordinated effort was part of a state-wide program called Joining Forces which brings together law enforcement agencies across the state for specialized enforcement efforts, according to Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Kevin Honea.
The program is funded by a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Honea said.
Thursdays effort brought together officers from seven different agencies including Nevada Highway Patrol, Metro, Mesquite Police, Boulder City Police, Henderson Police, Lincoln County Sheriff and Utah Highway Patrol.
Officers monitored the speed of southbound traffic from the overpass of exit 93. A lineup of motorcycle officers waited on the southbound on-ramp to pull over vehicles which were exceeding the speed limit.
Police cruisers monitored northbound traffic speeds in a similar manner from the Hidden Valley exit.
“We have traditionally planned our speed enforcement activity around the time of the NASCAR races,” Honea said. “Our public slogan for the campaign has been ‘Leave the speed at the track’ and is in coordination with the speedway and NASCAR events.”
Honea said that other similar enforcement efforts are planned in the next few weeks in Las Vegas. “We’ll be setting up at spots in the city and the effort will be every bit as big in those areas,” he said.
Officers on Thursday were pleased to find rather light traffic conditions and very few high speed situations, Honea said.
“We didn’t find anything too extreme,” Honea said. “When we have set up these exercises along the highway from California sometimes we see some much higher speeds. But it wasn’t too bad in that area.”
In the end, the overarching goal for the operation is not just nabbing motorists but saving lives, Honea said.
