Troopers cracking down on speeding through July 21 in Operation Southern Shield

MONTGOMERY – Law enforcement officers in five southern states are planning a crackdown on speeding motorists.

State troopers and local officers in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee are participating in a speed enforcement campaign called Operation Southern Shield 2019, according to news releases from the state agencies.

The enforcement push began this week and continues through July 21.

“Speed kills,” Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Hal Taylor said in a statement.

“We are pleased to partner with our neighboring states and local law enforcement agencies in an effort to save lives,” Taylor said.

Law enforcement officials plan several news conferences about the operation next week.

“It’s very simple: slow down, stop being distracted and wear your seat belt,” Lt. Maurice Raines, of the Georgia State Patrol, said.

The operation was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Region 4 and focuses on the heavy summer travel period when the rate of fatal and injury crashes in the Southeast is higher than any other time of the year.

Operation Southern Shield started in 2017.