Kentucky's new "primary" seat belt law took effect last July 12, meaning drivers can be stopped and cited if anyone in the vehicle is not wearing a seat belt.
But motorists were given a grace period through the first of the year to adjust, being issued warnings instead of the maximum $25 citation allowed.
"It's been over a year now, and this campaign has been well-advertised," Best said. "There's plenty of things out there to have warned people of the importance of wearing seat belts. Our goal is to save lives, not to see how many citations we can run.
"When you go to a scene and you see a victim laying on the roadway 20 feet from their car, and you look at the car and it's not damaged a lot but the person has passed away from a traumatic injury, it's just senseless."
Studies conducted in 2004 concluded that 67 percent of vehicle occupants killed in Kentucky car crashes were not wearing seat belts.
Since Monday, eight officers from the 22-patrolman force have been monitoring Bypass Road and sometimes Main Street for violators. An SUV with a banner emblazoned with "Zero Tolerance for Unbuckled Occupants" and the Click-it or Ticket log was parked on the Bypass as a reminder to drivers.
Best, who did patrol on Monday, said that as soon as he finished writing one citation, all he had to do was look up to see another motorist driving without wearing a seat belt.
"I think part of it is we haven't done our job. We haven't enforced it like we should," he said. "It's time for people to understand that it is a law, and it is for their benefit."
The extra patrol will continue through Labor Day weekend. Officers will also be on the lookout for drunk drivers and speeders.
