Volunteers armed with radar guns will soon hit the streets of Oshkosh in a major campaign to crack down against speeders.

At school zones across the city, signs are already posted to warn drivers of a Citizen Speed Patrol, which consists of teachers and parents. Wednesday night the program was expanding outside of school zones to target whole neighborhoods.

“The speeding in front of our house — and we have a speed bump! — it’s just gotten out of hand,” said Paul Weinkauf, a Speed Patrol volunteer. “The police department is so busy, they can’t be watching our streets all the time.”

On Jackson Street, about eight volunteers practiced using a radar gun for the first time. “Hopefully they will slow down,” Weinkauf said. Almost immediately some drivers were hitting the brakes.

Volunteers expect to start patrolling in May. About 30 neighborhoods will be targeted, and drivers clocked going too fast will receive a written warning in their mail.

“What will happen is, they will complete a radar log, the radar log will be turned in to us, we will in turn run the plates, and then following, after we run the plates, send out a courtesy letter just asking people to please slow down, you were clocked at so many miles an hour,” Sergeant Steve Sagmeister, Oshkosh Police Department, said.

These aren’t citizen-run speed traps. By being visible, volunteers hope to send a clear message to drivers.

“I think it will help a lot,” Speed Patrol volunteer Angie Marciniak said. “It will give them a warning before they speed down the street again, in other areas.”