Lexington police crack down on speeding as part of Operation Southern Shield

LEXINGTON, Tenn. — Obey the speed limit or face the consequences. Law enforcement crack down on speeding this week as part of Operation Southern Shield.

Lexington Police Officer Josh Reed ran radar Thursday on East Church Street. He takes speeding seriously. For him, it is personal. “I’ve lost several close friends throughout my life to crashes, and a lot of those were speed related,” he said.

Tennessee law enforcement along with officers in Georgia, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina are participating in Operation Southern Shield. The weeklong operation, focused on speed enforcement, kicked off Monday.

“We’re out there,” Lexington Police Capt. Jeff Middleton said. “It’s a priority for us, and at the end of the day the objective is to save peoples’ lives.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said speeding killed more than 10,000 people in the United States in 2016 and was a factor in 27 percent of deadly crashes in the nation.

Statistics show Henderson County ranked fifth in the state for deadly crashes. “Slow down,” Capt. Middleton said. “Take a little more time. Buckle up. Pay attention to what’s going on.”

Middleton said Lexington police have more officers on the street this week. Reed could write you a ticket. “Things will always happen faster when you’re going faster, and the collisions will always be that much more serious when speed’s a factor,” Reed said.

Operation Southern Shield runs through Sunday.