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# Sheriff's Department plans hands-free phone enforcement operation Saturday, Nov. 7
- URL: https://missionviejopost.com/sheriffs-department-plans-hands-free-phone-enforcement-operation-saturday-nov-7/
- Published: 2026-11-05T20:32:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-05T20:32:49.000Z
- Description: The Orange County Sheriff's Department will run an enforcement operation Saturday, Nov. 7, aimed at drivers suspected of holding a phone behind the wheel, according to the release Orange County Sheriff’s Department Focuses on the Dangers of Distracted Driving. The department polices Mission Viejo
- Author: Mission Viejo Post Staff
- Tags: Around Town, Public Safety

The Orange County Sheriff's Department will run an enforcement operation Saturday, Nov. 7, aimed at drivers suspected of holding a phone behind the wheel, according to the release [Orange County Sheriff’s Department Focuses on the Dangers of Distracted Driving](https://ocsheriff.gov/news/orange-county-sheriffs-department-focuses-dangers-distracted-driving-70?ref=missionviejopost.com). The department polices Mission Viejo under contract as Mission Viejo Police Services, and the release is datelined Mission Viejo.

Under current law, drivers may not hold a phone or electronic communications device while operating a vehicle. That covers talking, texting and using an app.

## The penalty

Holding a phone while driving is punishable by a fine. A second violation of the hands-free law within 36 months of a prior conviction for the same offense adds a point to a driver's record.

## What the department asks of drivers

Drivers who need to make an important call or program directions should pull over to a safe parking spot. Before driving, the release says, silence the phone or put it somewhere out of reach.

"A driver’s focus should be on the road, not their phone," a sergeant said in the release. "That text, phone call, email or social media post is not worth the risk to yourself and other people on the road."

## Who pays

Funding for the program comes from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, provided through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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*Sources:* [*Orange County Sheriff’s Department Focuses on the Dangers of Distracted Driving*](https://ocsheriff.gov/news/orange-county-sheriffs-department-focuses-dangers-distracted-driving-70?ref=missionviejopost.com)*.*

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