Burnsville police tired of being hit
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Burnsville police say they are cracking down on drivers who do not allow plenty of room between their vehicle and police cars.
State law requires drivers to move over one lane when a squad car is on the shoulder.
Chief Bob Hawkins said eight Burnsville police officers have been hit by cars in the last two-and-a-half years. The latest incident happened earlier this month when an officer was hit by a drunk driver.
"Finally, after the eighth one, literally, we said enough is enough. Let's do whatever we can to get the message out there to get these folks to tune into us and to help keep us safe so we can ultimately do our job: that's keeping everybody else safe," Hawkins said.
In the most serious incident, Hawkins says two Burnsville officers were seriously injured after being hit, and one wasn't able to return to work.
Too often, he said, drivers are talking on the cell phone, putting on makeup or reading the newspaper when they should be focused on driving.
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