South Dakota, Minnesota Troopers Join in I-90 Enforcement Operation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 22, 2012
CONTACT: Terry Woster, Public Information Officer, 605.773.3178
South Dakota, Minnesota Troopers Join in I-90 Enforcement Operation
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Troopers from the South Dakota and Minnesota Highway Patrols made 153 arrests and issued 408 warnings during a joint enforcement operation Thursday, June 21, on Interstate 90 between Mitchell, S.D., and Worthington, Minn.
The operation marked the first time troopers from the two states’ patrols have combined for a day-long enforcement effort. The high-visibility operation ran from 7 a.m. through 11 p.m. and focused on criminal interdiction, speeding, seatbelt use and drinking and driving. The goal was to encourage safe driving habits.
“It was a great opportunity to work with our fellow troopers from Minnesota in a combined effort to raise public awareness of the need for safe choices on the highways,’’ said Capt. Kevin Joffer, commanders of the South Dakota Highway Patrol’s Sioux Falls district office.
A total of 343 vehicles were stopped. There were no DUI arrests. Totals for the operation included:
- Speeding: 62 arrests, 152 warnings
- Move-over law: two arrests, four warnings
- Seatbelt violations: 32 arrests, 12 warnings.
- Driver license, insurance or registration: 18 arrests, 54 warnings.
- Drugs: 13 arrests.
- Other moving violations: 11 arrests, 44 warnings
- Other non-moving violations: 15 arrests, 109 warnings.
One of the drug arrests involved 295 pounds of marijuana.
In South Dakota, the joint operation came as a complement to the state’s “100 Days of Heat’’ campaign. That’s a summer-long highway safety initiative that involves the Highway Patrol, Office of Highway Safety and law enforcement agencies across the state. About half of South Dakota’s traffic fatalities occur during the summer months, generally during the roughly 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
-30-
