SURFSIDE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police officers from multiple jurisdictions gathered in Surfside to crack down on drivers who were violating traffic laws.
If a driver passed through the town Tuesday morning, chances are they saw officers running radar and pulling over speeding vehicles.
“This is still a residential area, and they should treat it like that,” a police officer said.
In around three hours, officers from multiple agencies performed over 100 traffic stops. The stops were part of a multi-jurisdictional traffic detail.
Surfise Police Sgt. Jay Metelis invited 7News on a ride-along to observe the crackdown, which included officers from:
- Miami-Dade Police
- Miami Beach Police
- Bal Harbour Police
- Bay Harbor Islands Police
- Sunny Isles Beach Police
- North Miami Beach Police
- Aventura Police
- Biscayne Park Police
“This is a small city, and we’re relatively crime-free,” Metelis said.
Metelis said he hopes to keep the city as such, but quality of life and safety are just as important. One of the objectives during the crackdown was to stop speeders driving along Collins Avenue.
“They treat it more like they’re on Federal Highway or U.S. 1 or even an expressway,” he said. “Running red lights, stop signs, you know, we want people to stay alert, not text and drive.”
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said he is in full support of the detail that occurred within the city’s limits. He said around one or two of the crackdowns are hosted in the city throughout the year.
“Don’t do it, don’t do it, just respect us, respect our kids,” Burkett said. “Respect our elderly that are walking across the street.”
Although Tuesday was uneventful in terms of the kinds of violations that were logged, some speeders and stop sign runners were cited, but not everyone who was pulled over was cited.
“We’re here to not punish people,” Metelis said. “We’re here to change behavior.”
Surfside Police said 77 citations were issued, and 35 warnings were made during the three-hour crackdown, most were for traffic-related offenses.
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