MINNEAPOLIS — After 10 nights of patrolling highways across the Twin Cities metro, the Minnesota State Patrol announced that hundreds of vehicles were stopped, and dozens of arrests were made.
The Highway Enforcement for Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) Patrols saw 516 vehicle stops, 23 arrests for driving while impaired, six arrests for outstanding warrants and more than 100 other citations, which mostly included driving without a valid license.
According to Colonel Matt Langer, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, the goal of the patrols were to "combat dangerous driving through speed enforcement, while making a difference related to violent crime."
“The hard work by our troopers over the 10 days of HEAT accomplished both," Langer said in a press release.
The HEAT Patrols started on Feb. 14 and ended on Feb. 25, as the weather forced some patrols to be suspended. Each patrol started at 7 p.m. and ended at 1 a.m., according to MSP.
Throughout the HEAT Patrols, there were eight instances in which MSP's flight support was called in for assistance. However, not every one was in relation to the HEAT Patrols.
In total, 80 drivers were cited for driving without a valid license, 22 were cited for violating hands-free cellphone laws, 13 drivers were cited for failing to move over for a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights on, and six people were cited for not wearing seat belts, officials say.
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