Columbus Police write more than 1,100 tickets in 12-day traffic safety operation

The Columbus Police Department conducted a three-week traffic detail in December that led to more than 60 arrests and hundreds of citations, the department announced in a news release.

The detail was conducted by officers from the motor squad, bike patrol and patrol divisions, and was held four days a week, ending on New Year’s Eve. The purpose of the operation was to target impaired and unsafe drivers, police said.

Officers wrote 1,123 separate citations, arrested 65 people for driving under the influence and another 24 people on drug charges, the department wrote.

During the holiday season, the state of Georgia saw 20 traffic deaths on its roadways, 15 of which occurred around Christmas. Alabama troopers reported 23 traffic deaths during the holiday period, less than the previous year.

Columbus did not report any traffic deaths during the period, police reported.

Over the past year, the department has conducted several sting operations cracking down on distracted driving. The breadth of the stings caused some controversy, and prompted state Rep. John Pezold to consider introducing legislation to change the law to be more lenient.

This story was originally published January 5, 2018 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Columbus Police write more than 1,100 tickets in 12-day traffic safety operation."