Special traffic patrols a success, police say

In the six months since the first souped-up Seattle police cruisers hit the streets, longtime hot spots for speeding and aggressive driving have grown noticeably more quiet, police say.

Sgt. Steve Ameden said traffic officers were regularly seeing speeders traveling 20 miles over the speed limit on the Aurora Bridge, Admiral Way in West Seattle and elsewhere. But because of the new aggressive-driving squad, Ameden believes the city is seeing less of a problem with aggressive driving and excessive speed.

"When you have 10 officers who are going to these same places a couple of times a week, people see you," Ameden said. "They start to expect it."

The squad has handed out more than 10,000 traffic citations for speeding, tailgating and making unsafe lane changes during the past six months. The entire department handed out more than 38,000 traffic citations for the same period, according to Seattle Municipal Court.

Assistant Police Chief Harry Bailey said that when the squad was formed they were assigned six Dodge Chargers that were new to the department. Now they have 10, as well as a Dodge Magnum station wagon painted the same gray-blue color.

"Right now it is going to be my recommendation that we look at identifying other parts of town that we should move them to," Bailey said.

Bailey said that since the aggressive-driving squad started patrolling the Aurora Bridge and the Spokane Street Viaduct there haven't been any fatal accidents.

Though the Chargers are equipped with 5.7-liter V8s, each with 340 horsepower, the squad is not allowed to pursue fleeing drivers because the department has a no-pursuit policy, Bailey said.

He said that by scattering the squad near the street they are targeting, officers have managed to nab a speeder driving 120 mph in a 40 mph zone on Highway 99, another vehicle traveling at 103 mph on Interstate 5 and someone else driving 84 mph in a 30 mph zone on the West Seattle Bridge.

But, Ameden said, people have not completely stopped driving at excessive speeds.

Just last week the squad caught someone traveling 70 mph on Admiral Way — 40 mph above the speed limit.

"I don't think [speeding] is ever going to go away," Ameden said.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com