Police operation cracks down on speeding on I-270

DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) – Several central Ohio law enforcement agencies are working together to make Interstate 270 safer. 

Five different agencies Thursday carried out a multi-agency speed enforcement operation. It was led by Dublin police, Hilliard police, Columbus police, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP).

“What we saw yesterday was the availability for us to focus in on one certain area, hit that area with what we call a targeted, directed blitz," said Chief Jim Gilbert with FCSO.

This operation was led by Dublin police. 102mph was the fastest speed clocked, according to the department.

“We had actually a few going over 100 and a lot of 90 plus miles an hour," Sgt. David Gatterdam said.

He said community feedback was part of the reason for the operation. This year the department has received 192 complaints about things like speeding and dangerous driving on I-270, according to Dublin police.

“It’s not new to I-270 but the amount of complaints we have gotten has increased and that's why all of our agencies got together to collectively make some statements," Gatterdam said.

The special enforcement happened in the middle of the day from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Gatterdam said 65 cars were stopped leading to 57 citations for speeding. 

“It does go to show you that even despite how many cruisers we had out there we were still writing that many citations and stopping that many violators so it gives some truth to the complaints," Gatterdam said.

Information released by Dublin police showed there were five citations for drivers without a license, and one of the cars stopped turned out to be stolen. The agencies are planning other operations like this.

"We’re going to try to address this not only in the northwestern part of the county but throughout the coming weeks and coming months, we’re going to try to address it throughout the county," Gilbert said. "It's innocent people that are out utilizing the roadways in a manner to get from point A to point B that could be wrapped up in somebody driving in a reckless manner and causing a fatality.”