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Wheeling Police Department Steps Up Traffic Enforcement Efforts

The Wheeling Police Department is taking steps to combat unsafe driving such as speeding and driving without a seatbelt after receiving multiple complaints from residents.

Last week, officers focused on two areas in Wheeling including the 2100 block of National Road in Elm Grove and the 800 block of Market Street in North Wheeling.

On the first day of the speed enforcement operation in North Wheeling, officers issued 18 speeding citations and three tickets relating to driving suspensions or revocation. The average speed reported by police was 40 mph compared to the speed limit, which is 25 mph.

The highest speed reported by officials was 44 mph in North Wheeling. In Elm Grove, 52 speeding citations were given in addition to two distracted driving, two no proof of insurance and two driving suspended citations.

Though the speed limit in that area is 25 mph, the average speed was 43 mph with the highest being 50 mph. The “buckle up” initiative, which began at the beginning of March, reported 28 citations on the first day of its implementation.

Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said residents will see a spike in traffic citations due to these initiatives as the department continues to rebuild its traffic unit.

According to Wheeling Police Department spokesman Philip Stahl, these proactive initiatives will continue over the next several months to reduce distracted driving, speeding and all other dangerous driving activities.

“We did North Wheeling on Wednesday and Elm Grove on Thursday. We are targeting areas with special operations and that was over a 48-hour period,” said Stahl.

Funding for these projects is provided by the West Virginia Governors Highway Safety Program. Officers assigned to this special detail included it in addition to their regular patrol shift.

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