Deputies to have bird's-eye view of Carson speeders

Carson City speeders who see long stretches of asphalt as their own personal speedway might be inclined to slow down when deputies take to the air in mid-March, said Carson City Lt. Ken Sandage.

"It is our hope that by utilizing the aerosquadron in a traffic enforcement capacity, we will reduce speed, which will in turn reduce traffic-related injuries and fatalities," he said.

The planes are privately owned by volunteers with the Carson City Sheriff's Aero Squadron. Twenty-two volunteers make up the organization that has been in existence since 1966. The cost to the department will be $75 in fuel per flight.

No date has been set for the inaugural flight, Sandage said. The flights will be monthly initially and increase as the need arises.

Road crews recently painted markings on Goni Road, Edmonds Drive, Deer Run Road and College Parkway which the airborne deputies will use to calculate the speed of motorists on the ground. Once a speeder is spotted, the deputy in the sky will radio to a deputy on the ground who will issue a ticket to the offender.

Deputies Bill Richards and Wayne Wheeler underwent training with the Nevada Highway Patrol to be certified as "air observers."

Richards said the ground speed is calculated with the use of a stopwatch and the road markings, placed 1,320-feet apart.

"The minute the bumper crosses the first mark, you start the time, and the minute it passes the second mark, you stop," he said.

The highway patrol uses airplanes to monitor speeds by air throughout the state, said Kim Evans, Department of Public Safety, public information officer.

In January, there were 17 injury accidents and 95 property accidents in Carson City, said Sheriff Ken Furlong.

"The numbers here justify an intense traffic enforcement unit," he said.

Contact F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.