Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Motorists in the greater Wichita area have another reason to take care at railroad crossings on Wednesday.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office is putting deputies on trains to watch for drivers who fail to stop for approaching trains. The sheriff's office is working with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad in the operation dubbed "Cops on Rails/Officer on the Train."

Wednesday's operation will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Deputies will ride BNSF trains to spot and report drivers failing to stop for trains. Violators could be fined $195.

"Cops on Rails" is an ongoing campaign by the sheriff's office and the freight carrier.