Florida Officers Wear Costumes to Catch Speeders and Other Violators

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on November 9, 2012

Law enforcement agencies throughout Florida recently used some very unorthodox tactics to catch drivers disobeying the rules of the road. Officers dressed as leprechauns, prostitutes, elves, vagrants, political protesters, tourists, golfers and in other garb besides their usual uniforms positioned themselves at intersections and along busy roadways in sting operations that were very successful.

In West Palm Beach, police officer David Oxley, posing as a homeless man dressed in a bathrobe and cowboy boots, radioed fellow officers about drivers who were running red lights at a busy intersection. He was one of many officers participating in "Operation Can You Spare $183.50?" $183.50 is the fine that red light runners must pay when caught. Shockingly, officers issued 74 tickets for running red lights in just 90 minutes at one intersection. Arresting officers said that drivers continuously ran red lights in every direction, sometimes four and five at a time.

In Leesburg, Police Corporal Scott Sparkman and Senior Officer John Sommersdorf dressed as construction workers, complete with orange safety vests and surveying equipment to catch speeders on U.S. 441. Their efforts were part of national Work Zone Awareness Week, a campaign to protect road construction workers.

Osceola County Deputies Jason Teems and Ron Kelley dressed as tourists in Hawaiian shirts, straw hats and cameras (radar guns) to catch speeders on U.S. Highway 192 west of Interstate 4. They worked with officers from Kissimmee and St. Cloud who issued dozens of speeding tickets in just a couple hours.

Officers with radar guns and radios also hid in empty boxes and cherry pickers and employed other innovative tricks to catch drivers throughout our state. By all accounts, their efforts were very successful in ticketing drivers who disobeyed the law.

Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham supports these and other efforts to make Florida roadways safer for everyone. Too many drivers put their busy schedules, cell phone conversations, appearance and other considerations before road safety, sometimes with tragic results. Drivers who speed, run red lights, talk or text on their phones and engage in other negligent activities frequently cause accidents that injure and kill people who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you or a member of your immediate family has been injured by a negligent driver and you would like to speak with Mr. Cunningham, call him today at 800-425-2004.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.