LAS VEGAS -- A deadly weekend on valley roads brings the death toll of lives lost to 36 since the year began.
Metro Police have announced special traffic enforcement effort to target reckless drivers disobeying traffic laws. Through May 22, officers will be stationed at intersections known to have a lot of crashes.
A new court has also been created that focuses on chronic traffic violators. It's called STOP Court. STOP is the acronym for Serious Traffic Offender Program and it targets some of the most dangerous drivers.
The STOP Court targets repeat offenders who have 10 or more moving violations. Chronic offenders will face municipal Judge Heidi Almase.
"We do require that they do the 180 days suspended. They have to stay out of trouble which means no new traffic violations, which means they have to pay their base fines." Almase said.
She created the misdemeanor program after discovering Clark County had more than 1,500 drivers with at least 10 moving violations.
Habitual offender or not, Leslie Garcia said the heartache of losing someone is still unbearable.
"It's very hard. I can't just think that he's gone, I just think it's a nightmare," said Garcia who is a sophomore at Western High School. Her friend, 15-year-old Robert Lee Brown was killed in a crash Sunday. The 23-year-old driver, Arturo Castillio, was arrested for DUI.
While the driver wasn't a repeat offender, Metro Police said the courts play a crucial role in keeping dangerous drivers off the road.
"Any court that deals with aggressive prosecution, it's a huge help for us," Metro Officer Jose Hernandez said.
STOP Court takes place on Thursdays at the Regional Justice Center.
Judge Heidi Almase
