In the Zone: Maize Middle School

August 27, 2009

By Brian Heap (MAIZE, Kan.)

Viewers warned our "In the Zone" team about speeders near Maize Middle School. But we were still stunned by what we saw this week along Maize Road. We counted at least half a dozen cars that were going 10 miles an hour, or more, above the speed limit in the school zone.

"It's like this every day," said Lt. Craig Brasser of the Maize Police Department. Brasser told us an officer is assigned to monitor speeds at Maize Middle School Monday through Friday. On this particular morning, we saw an officer stop three drivers for speeding. We even saw drivers speeding by the officer as he issued tickets.

"It's frustrating. We sometimes look like the bad guys because we're out here writing tickets and people are trying to get to school or get to work," said Brasser.

Maize Police attribute the high number of speeders to the traffic volume on Maize Road and the 40 mile per hour zone that quickly drops to 20 m.p.h. at the school. Police say it is a challenge for drivers to drop their speed so dramatically in such a short amount of time.

The point was illustrated when our radar gun clocked a police cruiser going 27 m.p.h. as it slowed down through the zone. We showed the video clip to Maize Police Chief Matthew Jensby. He told us the officer was slowing down, but acknowledged he was speeding briefly. Jensby went on to say that it's common practice for officers not to immediately stop cars as they enter the school zone. Jensby says officers will give drivers a reasonable amount of time to slow down.

This marks the second week in a row that "In the Zone" cameras and radar captured a police cruiser speeding through a school zone. Last week, we clocked a Wichita cruiser at 25 near Bryant Elementary. A spokesman for WPD told us the officer may have been responding to high priority call at the time, one that would not necessitate the use of lights and sirens. But police said that would be impossible to verify based on the information we gave them.

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