Laredo police to launch Operation Slowdown

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The Laredo Police Department is launching its annual Operation Slowdown campaign on Saturday, July 18, as part of a traffic safety effort targeting speeding on two major roadways.

Officers will step up patrols along Loop 20 and Cuatro Vientos. The campaign runs through Sunday, Aug. 2.

The effort is funded through a Texas Department of Transportation grant and is designed to reduce speeding and prevent traffic-related deaths. Officials said the goal is to encourage safer driving habits and save lives.

Raul Leal, public information officer for TxDOT, said increased enforcement along the targeted corridors is intended to change driving behavior statewide.

“They’ll be having increased enforcement there to get people to change their driving habits and to slow down across the state,” Leal said. “We know that in 2025, there were about one third of the crashes that occur and deaths that occur across the state are contributing to speed or excessive speed.”

Speeding remains a leading cause of serious crashes in Texas.

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