As COVID-19 empties streets, speeders hit the gas

The roads are empty, but the speeds are high.

Drivers are speeding more and more during the pandemic - and the police are cracking down.

13 CHIEF INVESTIGATOR DARCYSPEARS SHOWS YOU -- POLICE ARENOW ON THE PROWL, - AND SOMEDRIVERS - ARE CRYING FOUL.TAKE PKG) DAVE'SCELL PHONEVIDEO #2: WHAT IS METRO POLICEGOING TO DO WHEN THERE'S AWORLDEMERGENCY GOING ON?

HOW ABOUT ASPEED TRAP?!

POLICESEETHIS.../NATS SIRENFROM DAVE'S VIDEO/...AS SAVING LIVES.PRESERVING AMBULANCES ANDHOSPITAL RESOURCES FORCORONAVIRUS VICTIMS.DAVE BRECKON LOOKS AT ITDIFFERENTLY.49:44DAVE: I SAW IT ASBULLYING...BRECKONTOOK THESE CELL PHONEVIDEOS ON MARCH 31 ALONG I-15NORTH NEAR ST.ROSE PARKWAY.49:00DAVE: THEY WERE GIVING OUTTICKET AFTER TICKET AFTERTICKET.AND IT WAS JUST-THEY WERE JUSTCHICKEN-HAWKING PEOPLE.METRODID GIVE OUT TICKET AFTERTICKET AFTER TICKET THATAFTERNOON.23:56LVMPD TRAFFIC LT.BRET FICKLIN: THAT DAY WE WEREOUT THERE WE MADE 81 STOPS.WE WROTE 89 INFRACTIONS.ALLIN JUST A THREE-HOUR PERIOD.37:07 DARCY: DOES IT KIND OFMAKE YOUR OFFICERS WONDER,'WHOARE ALL YOU PEOPLE?

WHYARE YOU OUT HERE?

WHERE ARE YOUGOING?'

LT:(LAUGHS)ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'VE BEENASKED TO STAY HOME!METROTRAFFIC LIEUTENANT BRETFICKLIN SAYS THE AREA AROUNDST.ROSE AND THE 15 HAS BEEN A CARCRASH HOT SPOT, WHICH IS WHY ITWAS TARGETED FOR ENFORCEMENT.24:22LT.FICKLIN: OF THE 28 FATALITIESWE'VE HAD THIS YEAR, 8 HAVEOCCURRED IN THAT AREA COMMAND.INTHE FEW DAYS AFTER THATINTERVIEW, TWO MORE PEOPLE DIEDIN CAR CRASHES BRINGING METRO'SYEAR-TO-DATE FATALITY TOTAL TO30.22:19LT.FICKLIN: TO KIND OF PUT THAT INPERSPECTIVE, WE'VE HAD 19MURDERS.SO WE'VEHAD MORE PEOPLE KILLEDON THE ROADWAYS.FICKLINSAYS FOCUSED ACTIONSLIKE THIS ONE ARE NOT SET UP TOTRAP PEOPLE, BUT TO ENFORCE THEMARKED SPEED LIMIT.24:50LT.FICKLIN: WE STOPPED SIXVEHICLES THAT WERE DOINGTRIPLE-DIGIT SPEEDS.AND THE TOP SPEED THAT DAY WAS121 MILES AN HOUR...OF PEOPLE COMING INTO LASVEGAS.THAT AREA OUT THERE IS MARKED65 MILES AN HOUR.THENEVADA OFFICE OF TRAFFICSAFETY REPORTS A47-PERCENTDECREASE IN DEATHSTHIS MARCH COMPARED TO LASTYEAR.OFFICIALS BELIEVE THAT WASLARGELY DUE TO THE DECREASE INTRAFFIC VOLUMES ACROSS THESTATE, PROMPTING DAVE BRECKONTO ASK...48:13DAVE: WHY NOW?

WHY NOW ATA TIME LIKE THIS ARE THEYGIVING TICKETS?

THERE'S OTHERTHINGSTHEY CAN DO.YOU KNOW?

I JUST THINK THETIMING IS BAD.METROSAYS THE TIMING IS JUSTRIGHT.25:03 DARCY: PANDEMIC SPEEDERSIS A TERM THAT PEOPLE ARESTARTING TO USE.ARE YOU SEEING MOTORISTS TAKEADVANTAGE OF LESS TRAFFIC TO GOTOO FAST?

LT.FICKLIN: YES.HESAYS BECAUSE ROADS ARE MOREOPEN PEOPLE FEEL MORE FREE TOOPEN UP ONTHE INTERSTATE ANDSIDE STREETS.36:10LT.FICKLIN: WE'VE HAD SIX FATALSOCCUR--FATALCOLLISIONSOCCUR--SINCE THE SHUTDOWN.OF THOSE SIX, FOUR WEREEXCESSIVE SPEED RELATED.(BUTTTO 35:43) ANDWE'RE TAKINGALL THESE EXTRAORDINARYMEASURES, BUT PEOPLE DON'T SEEA PROBLEM WITH JUMPING IN THEIRCAR AND SPEEDING DOWN THEROADWAY, WHICH NOT ONLYENDANGERS THEM BUT ENDANGERSTHE OTHERS.51:40DAVE: THEY SEE IT AS DOINGPART OF THEIR JOB BUT THEYHAVEN'T TAKENA LOOK AT THEHUMAN SIDE OF IT WHERE PEOPLEARE SICK, PEOPLE HAVEFEAR,PEOPLE DON'T HAVE MONEY.AND NOW THEY HAVE THIS TO WORRYABOUT.27:53LT.FICKLIN: FROM THE PERSONRECEIVING THE CITATION OR APERSON FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKINGIN IT MAY SEEM HEARTLESS.FICKLINSAYS THEY'RE NOT WRITINGCITATIONS BECAUSE THEY'VE GOTNOTHING BETTER TO DO OR BECAUSEHIGHER-UPS ARE TELLING OFFICERSTO INCREASE THEIR TICKET TALLY.30:18LT: FICKLIN: A LOT OFPEOPLE THINK THAT, OH, IT'S THEEND OF THE MONTH, YOU GUYS NEEDTO WRITE MORE TICKETS FOR PAYOR WHATEVER.WE GET ABSOLUTELY NO REVENUEFROM THE TICKETS WE WRITE.COURTSSET TRAFFIC TICKET COSTSAND THE MONEY GOES TO FUND THECOURT SYSTEM WHICH IS CURRENTLYON HOLD.31:48FICKLIN: AT THE CURRENTMOMENT THERE'S NO TRAFFIC COURTGOING ON SO OBVIOUSLY ALL OFTHIS IS GOING TO BE PUSHED BACKANYWAY.ALSO,LAST WEEK, IN AN EFFORT TOLIMIT CORONAVIRUS SPREAD, LASVEGAS JUSTICE COURT SUSPENDEDENFORCEMENT OF ABOUT 270,000TRAFFIC CASES IN WARRANT STATUSUNTIL 60 DAYS AFTER THEGOVERNOR'S STAY-AT-HOMEDIRECTIVE IS LIFTED.THAT MEANS ANYONE WHO HAS ATRAFFIC WARRANTWON'T BE HELDACCOUNTABLE AT THIS TIME.STILL, BRECKON THINKS TRAFFICSTOPS SHOULD BE HANDLEDDIFFERENTLY.53:21DAVE: IF YOU WANT TO SLOWTRAFFIC COMING INTO LAS VEGAS,DO WHAT NEVADA HIGHWAY PATROLDOES.HE'STALKING ABOUT STAGING ANUNOCCUPIED CAR AS A DETERRENTOR USING FREEWAY SIGNS TO WARNPEOPLE TO SLOW DOWN.29:06 DARCY: AT A TIME LIKETHIS WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE AREOUT OF WORK AND DON'T HAVEINCOMES, HAS THERE BEEN ANYDISCUSSION ABOUT ISSUINGWARNINGS INSTEAD OF EXPENSIVETICKETS OR IS THAT NOTEFFECTIVE?

METROSAYS WARNINGSARE FORGETTABLE.TICKETS ARE NOT.29:36FICKLIN: IF I ISSUE ACITATION, I CAN GUARANTEEYOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO THINKABOUT IT AT LEAST THREE MORETIMES.BECAUSE YOU'RE THINKING ABOUTIT AT THE TIME I GIVE IT TOYOU, YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT ITAT THE TIME YOU HAVE TO GO TOCOURT FOR IT AND YOU'RETHINKINGABOUT IT AT THE TIME YOU HAVETO PAY THE PENALTY.BRECKONSAYS THERE'S SOMETHINGELSE TO CONSIDER DURING THECORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.50:17DAVE: SO THEY HAVE ANOFFICER THAT PULLS OVER A CAR.THEY HAVE CONTACTWITH THE CAR,WITH THE OCCUPANTS OF THAT CAR.WHAT IF THAT CAR HAS A COVID-19POSITIVE PERSON IN IT?THAT'SHOW NEVADA HIGHWAY PATROLIS LOOKING AT THINGS RIGHT NOW.THISMONTH WAS NHP'S TURN TOLEAD SOUTHERN NEVADA'STARGETEDENFORCEMENT.BUTTHE AGENCY CANCELED THEOPERATION DUE TO COVID 19.NHP SAYS IT'S STILL ENFORCINGTRAFFIC LAWS BUT LIMITING THEIREXPOSURE TO MOTORISTS AND NOTPERFORMING TRAFFIC SAFETY TASKFORCE OPERATIONS UNTIL FURTHERNOTICE.AS FOR METRO...37:19LT.FICKLIN: WE DO HAVE A CONCERNABOUT THE CONTACT WE HAVE TOHAVE WITH THE PUBLIC.50:36DAVE: THEY DON'T NEED TOMAKE CONTACT.THEY DON'T NEED TO PULL PEOPLEOVER.BUT THEY'RE PUTTING THEMSELVESAT RISK.ASOF APRIL 16, 11 METROEMPLOYEES HAD TESTED POSITIVEFOR COVID-19 WITH 19 TESTRESULTS STILL PENDING.METRO'S WEBSITE DOESN'T DETAILWOULD LOVE MORE THAN TO BE ABLETO CRUISE AROUND THE VALLEY,HAVE AN OFFICER PRESENCE ANDENJOY RIDING IN THE WEATHER.AND NOT HAVE TO MAKECONTACTWITH PEOPLE.BUT WE CAN'T STOP POLICING.ANDMETRO HAS SEEN ANOTHERRISING CRIME DURING THEPANDEMIC-STREET RACING-WHICHHAS LED TO INCREASED COMPLAINTSFROM RESIDENTS IN AREAS LIKEHOLLYWOOD AND WASHINGTON, THEWEST END OF ALTA AND ON THESTRIP.34:06LT.FICKLIN: WE HAD A TRUCK AND AMUSTANG GOING OVER 100 MILES ANHOUR NORTHBOUND ON LAS VEGASBLVD.RIGHT BY THE WELCOME TO LASVEGAS SIGN.SO THERE'SNO PLACE IN THEVALLEY THAT'S IMPERVIOUS TOWHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE SPEEDSRIGHT NOW.DARCYSTAND-UP TAG DRIVING INCAR: THOUGH HITTING MOTORISTSIN THE WALLET MIGHT NOT SITWELL RIGHT NOW, METRO AND NHPSAY THE ONLY GOAL IS TO MAKEOUR ROADS AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE,EMPHASIZING THAT NO ONE SHOULDEXPECT A FREE PASS DUE TO THEPANDEMIC.THEIR MESSAGE:SLOW DOWN ANDARRIVE ALIVE.DARCY SPEARS, 13 INVESTIGATES.TIME NOW IS X:XX ---