KPD & OCSO educate and enforce during their first Operation Best Foot Forward

The Kissimmee Police Department (KPD) and the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) conducted their first high-visibility crosswalk enforcement action on April 18. This crosswalk crackdown, dubbed ‘Operation Best Foot Forward (BFF),’ reminds drivers to yield and stop for people in marked crosswalks, as Florida law requires.  If they don’t, the driver may face a $166 citation and three points on their driver’s license.

KPD and OCSO enforced the driver yield law at three marked crosswalks, starting at 8:30 a.m. and finishing at 1:00 p.m.

Enforced crosswalks include:

• Donegan Ave & Coral Ave. – Speed limit: 35mph – OCSO
• Thacker Ave & Kissimmee Trail (2310 N. Thacker Ave.) – Speed limit: 40mph – KPD
• Hoagland Blvd. & Hideaway Bay – Speed limit: 30mph – KPD

Officers dressed in plain clothes crossed the street in these crosswalks, giving drivers enough time to yield to them. Those who didn’t – a total of 96 – were pulled over and given a warning or a citation. Officers also took the time to educate drivers on the driver yield law and their responsibility in keeping people walking safe. Thank you, KPD and OSCO, for all of your hard work.

Both education and enforcement are part of the “Triple E” method of combining high-visibility Enforcement, Education and low-cost Engineering at marked crosswalks where drivers fail to yield to people walking. The Best Foot Forward coalition, which helps coordinate Operation BFF, has been implementing this method in Orange County since 2012 with positive results.

This was Osceola County’s first Operation BFF action, and local officials came out to support the cause and see first-hand was enforcement was all about. A huge thank you to Osceola County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, Kissimmee Mayor Jose Alvarez, Kissimmee Commissioner Olga Gonzalez and Kissimmee Commissioner Jim Fisher for putting your best foot forward and showing your support.

Local media also hit the streets to get the inside scoop on Operation BFF. Reporters and camera crews from News 13, WKMG News 6, WFTV Channel 9 and WESH 2 News shared the story on the air, while WDBO filled drivers in through the radio. Thank you to our local media for helping spread the message of safety in the crosswalks. For every person stopped, BFF hopes to educate at least 1,000 more through traditional and social media. Check out all of our media coverage on our YouTube channel.

An example of why KPD has partnered with Best @BestFootOrlando . An officer in uniform crossing in a crosswalk and a driver did not yield. pic.twitter.com/jVUcWMPsdu

— Kissimmee Police (@kissimmeepolice) April 18, 2018

Get a great overview of Operation BFF by clicking here or viewing the recap below. You can find more photos from the event on our Flickr page.

Learn more about Best Foot Forward in Osceola County by clicking here.

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