Williston Police Issue 1000 Citations For First Time Ever | Video

Evan Kruegel | 11/8/2012

Traffic is at an all time high in Williston, and accidents are now occurring at a much higher rate.

"We`re seeing a big increase in crashes. This year we`re already 166 crashes above 2011," said Detective David Peterson.

But the hike in accidents isn`t even the most alarming increase. Hit and Run accidents are up 23 percent this year, and DUI citations are off the charts. Williston Police have already issued 92 percent more DUIs this year than last, and it`s not even mid-November. Peterson says there`s been an increase across the board for a number of reasons

"We`re annexing more land into the city which is becoming jurisdiction of the WPD, and also our population growth."

But it`s not just the population growth that`s causing the increase in citations. The police department now has a traffic control division, solely responsible for issuing traffic violations on the roadways.

"The traffic control division, their sole job while on duty is to look for violation of traffic law, locating problem areas within the city, and making a presence within that area," said Peterson.

Those traffic control officers have allowed Williston Police to issue over 40 percent more traffic citations this year, making this the first time Williston Police have ever issued more than 1,000 traffic citations in a single year.

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