Look UP, It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … No It’s the Police
Police Officer Jeff Wigfall patrols the highway from 2,200 feet in the air in an Floirda Highway Patrol issued single-engine Cessna airplane. From his perch, he sees the drivers who think they can avoid tickets by slowing down when approaching areas where troopers normally hide their cars. No one thinks to look up when they are speeding, and Wigfall catches speeders before they can see the blue lights flashing.
Wigfall starts his day at Palm Beach International Airport. He belongs to Troop L and patrols Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach and Broward counties. He is solely assigned to I-95, particularly targeting northern Palm Beach County and the area of Boynton Beach. Mostly he covers a 5-mile stretch in Boynton includes the Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach Boulevard, Gateway Boulevard, Hypoluxo Road and Lantana Road exits. Another trooper patrols Florida’s Turnpike. They say it’s to prevent accidents, but anyone who has lived in South Florida for a while knows, traffic tickets is how many Police Departments balance their budgets.
Wigfall works after the rush hour in the mornings and before the evening rush hour, times when traffic is lighter and more conducive for speeders. He says he catches speeders by the “hundreds” on weekends.
On a normal work day earlier this year, Wigfall took to the skies at about 10:40 a.m. Within 10 minutes, he was over northern Palm Beach County, in position to flag down speeders for the troopers aligned on the left shoulder of the highway. By 10:58 a.m., Wigfall had his first potential prey: a motorist driving 85 mph. Though he says he usually catches at least one in the 100-mph range, on this day his fastest catch was a car that was barreling down I-95 at 98 mph.
“Make sure to mark that one as aggressive,” Wigfall radios down to Frith, who is the next trooper in line for stopping a motorist. The driver “changed lanes two times and cut off a car,” Wigfall informs him. To catch the offending car, Frith, like other troopers on the ground, starts picking up speed on the shoulder before he merges onto the highway. Wigfall describes the vehicle and what lane it’s in until Frith is behind it.
To determine a vehicle’s speed, Wigfall uses three special clocks in his aircraft and the white lines painted on the highway. The clocks mark the time it takes motorists to travel from one line to the next, giving him the driver’s speed.
As you know, we care about our client’s licenses. Specifically, we try to avoid points at all costs. To the police, if they can squeeze a few bucks from out clients, then they feel like they won. That is why we fight these and all traffic tickets.
If you have been given a citation for this or any offense you should contact our office as soon as possible since you may be charged with a criminal violation if you ignore your citation and continue to drive. Thanks to the Palm Beach Post for some of the above content. Please call us at (954) 967-9888 or email us at [email protected], www.TrafficTicketTeam.com
***
(954) 967-9888
E-MAIL: [email protected]
www.TrafficTicketTeam.com