Casper area law enforcement agencies handed out 69 citations, including 37 speeding tickets, during two days of stepped up traffic enforcement last week, according to statistics released Thursday.

"The speeds are still very much a concern," said Wyoming Department of Transportation spokesman Jim Nations. "They are still way too high."

The traffic enforcement days, held on June 12 and 15, are part of a multi-agency effort to reduce car crashes in the Casper area. During the operations, extra officers from the Casper, Evansville and Mills police departments, along with the Wyoming Highway Patrol and Natrona County Sheriff's Office, patrol area streets looking exclusively for traffic violations.

In addition to the citations, officers made eight arrests for drunken driving and another seven arrests for various other violations.

"Any chief will tell their people, traffic is where you want to find the bad guys," said Evansville Police Chief Zack Gentile.

Local law enforcement agencies began the Combined Accident Reduction and Traffic Enforcement operation in April in response to the high number of crashes in Natrona County. Since that time, six traffic enforcement days have been held, resulting in nearly 600 traffic stops and 460 tickets, statistics provided by the agencies show. Officers have also made 22 drunken driving arrests.

Seven to 10 officers typically participate in each operation.

The agencies have agreed to continue the traffic operations through the summer. It's possible that three operations will be held next month, said Casper Police Crime Prevention Officer Pete Abrams.

There's not yet evidence that the traffic enforcement days are changing driver behavior, he said, adding that the true effect won't be determined until the state's 2007 crash report comes out next year.

Abrams said driver behavior in Casper appears to be worse than elsewhere in the state and cited traffic volume, the design and layout of city streets and driver frustration as possible reasons why.

"It's dangerous behavior and I see it on a daily basis," he said.

Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@casperstartribune.net.