Cops to expand traffic patrols

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

In response to the city”s recent annexation of over 2,100 acres of property surrounding Lockhart, the Lockhart Police Department is planning increased patrols in the annexed areas.
According to LPD Sgt. Larry Simmons, Jr., the department”s enforcement area has expanded to include such high-traffic areas as City Line Road

and FM 2001.
“People aren”t used to us being in those areas, so we are going to issue warnings for a few weeks before we start cracking down and writing tickets,” Simmons said.
City Line Road includes a school zone area in front of Lockhart Junior High School.
Simmons said the enforcement area has expanded in several directions north and west of Lockhart. Effective upon the annexation, the Lockhart Police Department is responsible for patrolling Highway 183 northward to the Plum Creek Bridge and FM 2001 west to County Road 303 (Hidden Path). In addition, the department also has patrolling responsibilities on FM 20 (Blackjack Lane) to the Plum Creek Bridge. The department”s boundaries on Highway 142, FM 20 West and Highway 183 South did not change.
Simmons warned that the expanded areas will also mean changes in the Selective Traffic Enforcement (STEP) Program.
Under the STEP program, officers are paid overtime with state funds to patrol the area, looking specifically for traffic violations – especially seat belt and speeding violations. The extended areas of Highway 183, FM 20 and FM 2001 will be included in the STEP enforcement program.
“We”ve watched those areas anyway, in the city”s extraterritorial jurisdiction,” Simmons said. “Now, after the annexation, they are added to our patrol area, and we need folks to know that we”re going to be stepping up enforcement.”
For additional information on expanded Lockhart Police Department enforcement or on the STEP program, contact the Lockhart Police Department at (512) 398-4401.