One police department has gone viral after taking an unconventional approach to tackling distracted driving, with one officer quite literally blending into the scenery to catch motorists breaking the law.

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The unusual enforcement operation took place in Dunellen, New Jersey, where the Dunellen Borough Police Department launched a distracted-driving crackdown on Wednesday, July 29. By the end of the six-hour initiative, officers had issued an impressive 74 citations to drivers caught using their phones behind the wheel.

What made the operation stand out, however, wasn’t just the number of tickets handed out.

Photos released by the department showed one officer wearing a leafy ghillie suit, hiding in plain sight while monitoring passing traffic through binoculars. Another officer involved in the operation wore a shirt reading “not a cop,” adding another twist to the roadside enforcement effort.

The department leaned into the humorous side of the images when sharing them on social media.

“Did you spot our ‘shrub’ today? If you had your head buried in your phone, probably not,” police wrote.

While the photos quickly grabbed attention online, officers stressed that the campaign had a far more serious purpose.

The enforcement targeted motorists violating New Jersey’s handheld cellphone law, under which a first offence can result in a fine ranging from $200 to $400.

Despite appearances, Detective Sergeant Nicholas Goldman explained that the officer was not dressed as a bush for the entire duration of the operation.

“To address the elephant, or shrub, in the room, our officer didn’t wear a ghillie suit during the entire enforcement detail,” Detective Sergeant Nicholas Goldman told CBS News.

“The photo was a creative, lighthearted way to draw attention to our safety efforts on social media.”

Goldman said that although the disguise attracted plenty of laughs online, the department’s motivation was rooted in road safety.

“While it was a fun thing, the underlying mission is incredibly serious,” he said. “For a one-square-mile town, we have a relatively high number of accidents, and we were looking for a unique enforcement method.”

According to traffic safety patrolman Kevin Condis, officers regularly encounter drivers distracted by their phones for a variety of reasons.

Some motorists are seen holding devices while following GPS directions, while others have been caught making FaceTime calls behind the wheel. In some of the most alarming cases, drivers were allegedly holding their phones with both hands and steering with their knees.

The department hopes the eye-catching campaign will encourage drivers to think twice before picking up their phones while driving.

As officers reminded motorists following the operation: “That text or notification can wait. Keep your eyes on the road, not your screen!”

Featured image credit: Dunellen Borough Police Department