Cardboard cutouts used to cut down speeders in Texas

GEORGETOWN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - There's a new deputy in Williamson County, just be sure to keep him away from any shredders.

"This is simply a cardboard cutout of one of our deputies," said Robert Chody the Williamson County Sheriff. While this Williamson County deputy has a stiff personality, this cardboard cutout is looking to cut down on speeders.

"It's a creative way to solve a problem without really working the problem," said Chody.

The plan is to place these cardboard deputies at various speeding problem areas across the county in an effort to get people to slow down.

"It's been pretty positive thus far and hasn't been implemented fully yet," said Chody.

While at a close distance it's easy to tell it isn't an actual deputy, that's not the case in a car.

"When you're going 20, 30 miles per hour and you see the silhouette you're immediately braking slowing down and that's exactly what we are trying to do," said Chody.

Sheriff Chody said they are testing out the effectiveness of these cardboard crime fighters by stacking them in school zones. "We didn't get one speeder; all these people were braking before they got to the cut out or as they were approaching the cutout," said Chody.

As this cutout is based on an actual deputy, it's best not to take any chances if you're looking to speed by them.

"Slowdown because you never know if it's the real deal or not and the only way you'll know is if you meet deputy Wolf and not the cut out but the real deputy," said Chody.

These cardboard cutouts are also pretty flexible, sometimes they'll be paired with a real deputy or alone to help cover more ground.

"Keep the community somewhat guessing, never feeling comfortable that they can speed in those problem areas," said Chody.

According to Sheriff Chody, it's a creative solution for tackling a serious problem.

If you're going to be driving in Williamson County, plan on seeing a lot more of them.