The Niceville Police Department wrapped up its targeted speed enforcement effort, ‘Operation Save the Day,’ on Friday, April 26, 2024. This effort aimed to promote safer driving practices along State Road 20 from Rocky Bayou Drive to Government Avenue.

Police Chief Rob Lovering announced the Operation, which lasted from April 24 to 26, during the City’s April 9th council meeting.

According to a press release from the City of Niceville’s spokesperson, Shannettra Francis, Niceville, police officers intensified speed enforcement efforts between 1 and 5 p.m. to address speeding concerns effectively. 

Seventy-seven citations were issued, with sixty-seven related to speeding violations. 

According to Francis, each speeding infraction recorded was for exceeding the posted speed limit by 9 miles per hour or more. The release also alleged a 40% drop in what the release called “citation numbers,” though Francis gave no data to support the claim. 

Chief Lovering said he wanted to socially engineer behavior. The release quoted him as saying, “Our aim is to instill lasting behavioral changes. Success would mean no tickets at all.”

According to research by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, tactics like High Visibility Enforcement change drivers behaviors over the long term. “Although forewarning the public might seem counterproductive to apprehending violators, it increases the deterrent effect,” the study notes. 

From December through March, the Niceville Police Department had a total of 1791 traffic interactions. During the same time, they issued 861 traffic tickets, a ticket-to-interaction ratio of about 1:2.

The Police did not release how many total interactions took place during Operation Save the Date.