Friday, November 23, 2012

While the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest of the year for retailers, law enforcement officers say it is also a busy day for them.

Shopping and celebrations mean more cars and the possibility of more drunk drivers on the road.

This weekend, the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office and the Butler County Sheriff's Office have teamed up with local police departments in both counties to conduct Operation Impact. Those departments say the effort is an attempt to keep the roads as safe as possible.

"We want people to have a good time, but it has to be safe," Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Joshua Collins said Friday. "We don't want people getting hurt."

That's why law enforcement officers like Collins are keeping a close eye on traffic this weekend.

Collins said it is common to see more drunk and distracted drivers on the road on a holiday weekend.

"It's definitely more common because people are off; they're out celebrating," he said. "This weekend just about any call we go to, people have been drinking."

Collins said, with the excitement surrounding Black Friday shopping, it is easy for drivers to be distracted. However, mixing speed with crowded highways is what concerns law enforcement agencies the most this weekend.

Operation Impact will focus on all laws aimed at keeping drivers and passengers safe. Deputies and officers will focus especially on drivers who are speeding, who may be impaired or who are violating Kansas' seat belt law.

Collins said he is not out to ruin anybody's holiday weekend. He also is not out to just write tickets, he said.

"If I feel a warning is going to fix their driving habits, then I'll give them a warning," he said.