Saying police have gotten carried away enforcing the seat-belt law, State Sen. Mike Jungbauer, R-East Bethel, Friday proposed restraining efforts to catch violators.
Jungbauer wants to bar police from setting up seat-belt "traps" to ticket drivers who aren't wearing seat belts, saying the practice wasn't envisioned by lawmakers who wrote the statute giving police authority to stop motorists for simply failing to wear the safety restraints.
"I don't have any regrets about getting it passed, but during testimony on the bill we were told time and time again by public safety officials and law enforcement that the law would not be used to set up stings and saturation patrols," Jungbauer said.
His draft legislation would prohibit "saturation patrols," in which police conduct enhanced surveillance with the goal of apprehending drivers not wearing seat belts.
