Effective Monday ( Oct. 13 ) Junction City police will begin issuing citations to motorists who are caught talking on cell phones without a hands free device while driving.

Tim Brown, Junction City Police Chief, said they will begin enforcing the ordinance approved by the Junction City Commission June 3.

For the past four weeks this has been in a warning ticket phase. During that time police issued 24 citations. “Starting Monday we will be issuing hard citations that require a court appearance. We’ll have extra officers out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday actually in marked or unmarked vehicles looking for these particular violations, and targeting those individuals who weren’t complying with the ordinance.”

Those who receive a citation will be required to appear in Junction City Municipal Court in the future, and will have to go before the judge because it is an unclassified misdemeanor. “Well they can face a fine of up to $500 or a jail sentence.”

Brown noted distracted driving is starting to become one of the number one causes of accidents.