Norman Police Plan 'Operation Cadence' Patrols Ahead Of Holiday Weekend

In an effort to prevent more crashes, similar to that one near Luther, Norman Police plan to hit the streets in full force this weekend.

News 9 spoke with Norman officers, who say you can pretty much guarantee seeing an increased police presence on the road for St. Patrick's Day and throughout the rest of spring break.

And they say if you're on the wrong side of a SUI checkpoint, you can either be arrested or written a ticket.

Not every DUI accident ends with just handcuffs and a court date. Lt Brent Barbour with the Norman Police Department knows that all too well.  It's a lesson he learned on one of his hardest days on the job in 2013, from 8-year-old DUI crash victim Cadence Gordon.

“When you're dealing with a kid it takes it to a different level, it brings it home,” said Barbour.

He still remembers most of the details behind the crash.

“The original person who started the sequence was impaired with medication and she ended up driving left of center towards another car. And in their efforts to avoid a collision ended up crashing into a third car, which resulted in the death of the young lady.”

Cadence died a few hours later after getting medi-flighted away from the scene on Highway 9.

Her memory however has not died, Cadence's family teamed up with the Norman PD to form "Operation Cadence." This week Officers working in Cadence's memory wil be on the roads looking for impaired drivers.

“We have a number of places in town that are known for their St. Patrick’s Day events/celebrations. We are increasing patrols,” said Norman Police PIO Sarah Jensen.

Police say the increased presence is made possible through a grant from the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office

The most recent DUI fatality was earlier this week when Police say a drunk Richard Norris was driving the wrong way on the highway when he crashed into motorcyclist Paul Campbell, killing him on scene. Norris has been charged with 2nd-degree murder.