Update: Sonoma Police Ticket 37 in Distracted Driving Crackdown

Sonoma Police dolled out 37 citations so far this month for drivers who chat or text on cell phones while driving - without using a hands-free device.

The crackdown is part of a : cell phones and driving just don't mix. According to officials, drivers are responding.

“When we started this we were getting a whole bunch of them, but when I was out there yesterday I caught like one – so people are getting the message," said Sgt. Spencer Crum.

During "Distracted Driving Week," which ran April 1 and April 8, Sonoma Police made a concerted effort to catch drivers talking on their cell phones. But Police will continue to be on hyped-up awareness until the end of the month.

"We’re not paying dedicated people, but during our regular patrol duties we’re asking deputies to be extra vigilant and to be on the lookout for it," said Crum.

Sonoma police join more than 225 local agencies along with 103 California Highway Patrol area commands throughout California that are ramping up enforcement this month.

Petaluma police cited 131 people for cell phone use in the first week of April, and in Santa Rosa during the first five days of the crackdown, police issued 451 citations. Rohnert Park, which was thrust into the spotlight in December after Sonoma State student, who was texting on a cell phone, ran over a two-year-old girl, .

Fines start out at $159 per ticket, and jump to $279 for the next.