Distracted drivers swamp Walla Walla police in emphasis patrol

A distracted driving emphasis Walla Walla police conducted Tuesday afternoon resulted in more than three dozen contacts with motorists.

And those were only the ones busy officers were able to stop, police spokesman Officer Tim Bennett said.

The 3 to 6 p.m. effort focused on cellphone use while driving, seat belt violations and proper use, as well as proper car and booster seat use for children.

Bennett said a plainclothes officer standing at the corner of Ninth Avenue and Poplar radioed in violations to officers in patrol cars, who were also looking for violations within about a three block area of that location.

He said there were 39 contacts for traffic violations; an average of more than 10 drivers an hour, which Bennett said was a lot for only three hours of emphasis.

“Those were the vehicles that we were able to stop,” Bennett said. “I can’t even tell you how many violations drove by that we couldn’t get stopped because we didn’t have enough officers.”

The contacts resulted in one warrant arrest, two citations for driving while license suspended, one for no insurance, five seat belt infractions, three cellphone infractions and numerous warnings.

The warnings were given out as a way to educate drivers about distracted driving, Bennett said, and officers used their discretion in issuing citations.

This story was originally published July 15, 2016 at 5:10 PM with the headline "Distracted drivers swamp Walla Walla police in emphasis patrol."