Three Salisbury Township Police Department officers conducted the season’s first aggressive driving enforcement details April 16 and 17.

The details were funded by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation grant.

The enforcement efforts target unsafe aggressive drivers and focus on speeding, red light running, illegal passing and other dangerous driving violations.

The April 17 detail took place along an area notorious for drivers speeding uphill as the roadway crosses over South Mountain.

The two day enforcement blitz resulted in 58 vehicles being stopped and 42 speeding citations issued, with the fastest motor vehicle traveling 83 mph in a 40 mph zone.

Salisbury Patrol officer Bryan Losagio, who organized the traffic detail, said the driver of the vehicle traveling at 83 mph in a 40 mph zone had a suspended driver’s license.

Besides being cited for speeding, the driver was also cited for driving with a suspended license. This was the individual’s 10th citation for driving with a suspended license, Losagio said. The person who owned the vehicle he was operating was also cited for permitting an unlicensed driver to operate her motor vehicle.

Citations were issued for one red light violation and seven drivers with no licenses or suspended licenses. One wanted person was stopped as well as stops for 16 other motor vehicle code violations.

Salisbury Township fourth ward Commissioner Rodney Conn spent several hours observing the April 17 traffic detail. Conn is vice president of the Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners.

“This is an important part of our township police department’s efforts to keep our streets and highways safe for residents and for those passing through our community,” Conn said.

While he said he admired how the officers used cumbersome electronic equipment to ensure accurate speed timing, the enforcement efforts also require the use of radio communications and multiple officers.

Conn said commonwealth legislators need to authorize the use of radar by municipal law enforcement agencies to make the process more efficient. Currently Pennsylvania State Police are the only law enforcement officers authorized to use radar traffic timing devices.

“It was great to have one of our township commissioners join us for this traffic safety detail,” Losagio said. “I believe it provided a good opportunity for Commissioner Conn to get a close-up perspective on how we conduct traffic safety enforcement in our township. It’s important to have the support of commissioners who care about the citizens of Salisbury Township and the officers who serve them.”

Losagio also said police department officers “will be back out in the very near future to conduct more aggressive driving enforcement. We ask that motor vehicle operators pay attention while driving and slow down. The school year is almost over, which means more children will be outside playing and riding bicycles, which makes driving safely even more important.”

Along with Losagio, patrol officers Michael Palansky and William Solly and Sgt. Christopher Casey participated in the April 17 traffic detail.

The grant money covered the patrol officers’ pay during the details so no Salisbury tax dollars were used and no patrol officers were diverted from normal township patrol duties.