By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – The school year is just getting started and Normal Police are giving motorists a failing grade for staying off their cell phones while driving through some of the busiest and most dangerous streets in town.

The department’s community service officer, Greg Leipold, said police conducted one of many planned operations to crack down on distracted drivers on Thursday.

It netted a dozen violations in only 90 minutes, with four marked squad cars and one unmarked vehicle patroling Main and College in Normal. That’s about one citation every 7 1/2 minutes.

Leipold said police were very transparent, notifying motorists on the department’s Facebook and Twitter pages exactly where police were looking for violators.

“We’re right here. I told them Main and College, and then we get 12, it just amazes me still that we can get 12 in 90 minutes,” said Leipold.

“That’s an officer writing a citation, going back and getting another one. So they didn’t have any chance to slow down,” Leipold added.

He said a couple of drivers were so distracted they didn’t look in their rear-view mirrors that squad cars with flashing lights were trying to pull them over.

“The ISU students are back. The pedestrians walk out, sometimes they’re not paying attention. They’re on the cell phone,” said Leipold.

“If two cell phone users meet, one in a car, one not in a car, the one in the car is going to win unfortunately, and that means by taking the life of a pedestrian that’s walking across the street,” Leipold also said.

Drivers are fined $120 for the first two violations. The second offense within a one-year period will count on their driving record, and a third violation within a year can result in suspension of a drivers license.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].