Law enforcement agencies present update on “Operation 85” safety effort

Local and state law enforcement agencies have provided an update on their safety crackdown on Interstate 85.

They’ve been working to crack down on speeding and reckless driving after getting complaints about drivers on I-85 in the Montgomery area.

Operation 85 was formed with partnering agencies to crack down on safety issues.

Wednesday, they announced their progress on this 10-day operation to issue warnings and tickets. It’s the third operation since the summer.

“There are good drivers that make bad decisions, and that’s what we are really trying to change,” Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. “We are trying to change behavior and to be able to do that, we have to get people to start making better decisions because at some point decisions turn into habits and habits create behavior.”

“What you hear about is enforcement, the warnings and actually the accidental crash reduction, and that’s what really matters to us,” Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert said. “You heard ALEA talk about that. That’s what really matters — keeping people safe.”

With the enforcement of Operation 85, they say they saw a 50% reduction in crashes along the interstate.