It would’ve been hard not to notice the incredible police presence on the island from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 18.
Bainbridge was the site for Kitsap County’s third “Target Zero” Task Force that utilized four Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office officers, three Bainbridge Island Police Department officers and three Washington State Patrol officers.
The result: 83 tickets and 18 warnings issued. Some drivers could’ve been cited for multiple infractions, said Marsha Masters of Kitsap County’s “Target Zero” Task Force.
Of the 90 contacts with drivers, officers issued 83 tickets.
Police officers issued 62 speeding tickets, seven tickets for no insurance, six tickets for seat belt infractions and three equipment violations. They also wrote two tickets each for cellphone usage and “other moving violations,” as well as a ticket for a non-moving violation.
Another driver was found to being compliant with an ignition interlock court order.
“We did a lot school zones, which was one of the biggest focus (areas),” Bainbridge Island Police Chief Matthew Hamner said.
Masters said none of the extra patrols resulted in overtime. She also noted that the non-Bainbridge officers were simply shifted from other areas in the county to focus on the island.
Although Masters said the county plans to regularly do “Emphasis Patrol” activities, the first two efforts were conducted last year – Bremerton (March) and Poulsbo (June). She said that Port Orchard would be the site of another “Target Zero” effort in the next couple of months.
“Just play by the rules and you don’t you get penalized,” Masters said.
— This story was updated at 5:25 p.m. March 28 to raise the total of speeding tickets issued to 62 and include other types of tickets issued.
