HILLSBORO, Ore — Drivers in Hillsboro may have seen something a bit unusual this week.
Police officers dressed in plain clothes stood on a street corner and held up signs telling drivers to put down their phones because cops were watching.
It was all part of a distracted driving sting operation.
The officers were actually using the homemade cardboard signs as a way to help them blend in and not be noticed.
It was certainly an unusual tactic but it worked despite the message on the sign.
The traffic officers spotted and pulled over several drivers either talking or texting on their cellphones.
Then came the tickets.
"The first citation somebody gets, it's a $265 fine that stays on their record and then if they get a second one over the course of their driving record it goes to a $480 fine. If they get a third one it actually becomes a misdemeanor crime and they can actually serve time in jail for that," said Hillsboro Traffic Sgt. Jincy Pace.
According to Pace, an Oregonian gets into a distracted driving collision every two-and-a-half hours.