GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - On Monday, the Minnesota State Patrol announced it is adding five additional unmarked squad cars to its statewide fleet in an effort to put more resources towards targeting distracted driving.
"An unmarked car really gives us a better opportunity to see what's happening," said Colonel Matt Langer.
The Twin Cities will be getting two of the unmarked cars, one in the east and one in the west metro. Brainerd, Marshall and Mankato will also be getting vehicles dedicated to cracking down on distracted drivers.
"It's about education and prevention," Langer says. "These are unmarked vehicles, admittedly is allows us to be a little bit more sneaky when we are on patrol. But on the other hand we are having a press conference to let the public know we are out there."
According to the State Patrol, there have been 3,467 distracted driving stops in 2015 so far. That number has skyrocketed since 2008 when, when texting and driving became illegal in Minnesota. The high number in 2015 is attributed in part because troopers are looking for it more and more drivers are distracted, troopers say.
