Stonington — Local police will be at targeted rail crossings in town on Tuesday, Sept. 24, to issue citations or warnings to those crossing the tracks illegally.

They also will disseminate railroad safety cards to motorists and pedestrians as part of a nationwide effort to reduce injuries and fatalities around railroad tracks through increased public awareness and enforcement.

The effort will take place during Rail Safety Week, which is Sept. 22-28, a cooperative effort among 600 police agencies across the country, Amtrak Police and Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit rail safety education organization. The goal is to raise awareness and enforce state railroad grade crossing and trespassing laws. The annual rail safety detail is the single largest rail safety law enforcement initiative in the U.S.

Federal statistics show that about every three hours in the United States, a person or vehicle is hit by a train. More information is available at www.oli.org or www.stayoffthetracks.org.