THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 21, 1995 TAG: 9509210448
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
When Shane Stafford drove away from a Hampton Boulevard service station Wednesday morning he was focused more on passing cars than on his speedometer.
But Norfolk police officers were focused on him. They clocked Stafford exceeding the 25 mph school zone speed limit and swiftly issued him a ticket.
``I looked up and didn't see the officer,'' said Stafford, 21, a Navy man headed to work at the Norfolk Naval Base. ``I was being stupid and not paying attention. But that's how this happens, by not paying attention.''
Stafford and 21 other motorists felt the sting of a speeding summons Wednesday morning during the police department's school zone crackdown, which was designed to warn drivers of the hazards and penalties of speeding near schools.
Police issued the summonses between 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. in the 5000 block of Hampton Blvd. near Larchmont Elementary School.
``At the beginning of the school year we concentrate a little heavier on school zones to remind them school has started,'' Sgt. Ron Ashley said. ``It's all for the protection of the children.''
The operation came after police issued 65 summonses in nine school zones Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, though, five officers focused on the Larchmont location.
The prevailing speed limit along that stretch of Hampton Boulevard is 30 mph, but it drops to 25 mph in a school zone.
If the usual speed limit is 25 mph or below, it is reduced to 15 mph in school zones.
The fine for speeding: $3 for each mile over the speed limit, plus court costs.
The fastest car Wednesday was clocked at 44 mph, Ashley said.
Officers used a radar gun attached to a digital speed display board. Most drivers slowed when they saw the officers, but others did not.
Some violators said they did not see the officers. There were other excuses, ranging from being in a hurry to not knowing a school was nearby. Some said the bright sun made them miss the speed-limit sign.
``I didn't even see the signs. I didn't see the man,'' said a Norfolk driver, who asked that her name not be used.
Officer Michael Borkowski, who operated the radar gun, said the morning was productive.
``Hopefully this will make people aware there's children out here,'' he said.
In addition to the speeding violations, police also issued five status summonses, which included seatbelt, license, tag and sticker violations.
One man, the final catch of the morning, walked away - literally - with four violations. He was cited for traveling 43 mph in a 25 mph zone, having expired state tags, not wearing a seat belt and not having a city sticker.
He was last seen pushing his car down Bolling Avenue. by CNB