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Officers risking life, limb moving into traffic to teach drivers a lesson

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WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - Undercover police officers are putting their own lives at risk playing in traffic to emphasize a very important safety issue for drivers.

The goal of the exercise is to remind drivers to be aware of those crossing the street.

West Valley City officers said they are looking for motorists who either don't see them in the crosswalks or ignore pedestrians and continue to drive. Roxanne Vainuku, West Valley City Police Department, said they took efforts to teach drivers a lesson while also ensuring officers stayed safe. She said they set up cones in order to give the officers who were crossing the street a visual marker so they could be sure vehicles had plenty of stopping distance.

Officer Mike Millet said lawmen are also giving out tickets to drivers caught endangering pedestrians in crosswalks.

He said it is a matter of life and death; 37 people were killed in auto-pedestrian accidents last year in Utah.