Greenville, Mississippi police officer Andy Ozbun is one of several officers working to catch speeders around town.

Putting the pedal to the metal on the streets of Greenville isn’t likely to get you a checkered flag, but it will increasingly get you a checkered driving record.

The Police Department has been flashing the blue lights with greater frequency recently in an effort to curb speeding on city streets.

“We have picked up on issuing citations,” said Lt. Andrew Kaho.

Kaho said the increase in speeding tickets is not the result of a Police Department crack-down – just individual officers trying to make sure everyone drives safely.

“We have not really cracked down on it,” Kaho said. “We’re just enforcing the law.”

Kaho denied that the city has implemented a zero-tolerance policy on speeding.

That goes against what several motorists told the DDT they heard from police officers during recent traffic stops.

Several Greenville drivers contacted the DDT recently to complain about being ticketed for driving at speeds they claimed were only slightly over the limit. Some motorists, including one DDT employee, said the officers who pulled them over told them the city has instituted a zero-tolerance policy on speeding.

But Kaho said there is no department-wide policy.

“Right now, tickets kind of are at the officers’ discretion,” he said. “The chief has not made it zero-tolerance as of this moment. But we do encourage citizens to obey the speed limits within the city of Greenville.”

Municipal Court Clerk Gwanda Wilson said she’s noticed an uptick in the city’s enforcement of speed limits.

She said her office has seen a “great increase” in speeding citations recently.
“I know there were some concerns in reference to the number of accidents they were having, and so they kind of adopted a zero-tolerance with speeding violators,” Wilson said.
Wilson said speeding ticket fines are assessed on a three-tier scale.

Violators found guilty of driving between 1 and 25 mph over the speed limit are assessed a $155 fine.

Between 26 and 45 mph over the limit brings a $180 fine.

And for those with genuine lead feet, 46 mph over the limit and up brings a $195 fine.

The police can also issue a citation for “careless driving by speeding,” Wilson said, which can carry a lesser fine.

Wilson said $72 from every speeding fine gets sent to the state. The remainder goes into the city’s “general funds” budget line, to be used for city operations.

But she encouraged Green-ville drivers to worry about safety, not money.

“Just slow it down, and be careful,” she said. “The main concern is people’s safety.

“And be very cautious in the school zone areas,” she added.