A Maryland police officer posed as a homeless man in a bid to catch drivers texting while driving

Montgomery County Police Officer Patrick Robinson and other officers carried out the undercover operation to catch motorists who were texting while driving in in Bethesda.

Officer Robinson, who was dressed in shabby clothes and wore gloves, held a sign that read: 'I am not homeless. I am a Montgomery County Police Officer looking for cell phone texting violations.'

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Montgomery County Police Officer Patrick Robinson went undercover as a homeless man in Bethesda

He stood near an intersection on River Road to catch drivers who were texting on their phones while driving

Other officers waiting down the road would stop the offenders and issue them a citation or a warning

The officer was equipped with a wireless microphone to alert other police who were waiting down the road when he observed a driver texting behind the wheel, according to Fox 5.

Robinson, who was also looking for drivers who weren't wearing seat belts, was also wired with a hidden camera in order to record encounters in case any of the cases needed to go to court.

Texting while driving is a primary offense, which mean officers who observe that behavior have probable cause to pull over a motorist and issue a citation on the spot.

County police have conducted two similar operations at the intersection and each resulted in about 50 tickets, according to Bethesda Magazine.

Robinson was wired with a hidden camera to record encounters in case any of the cases have to go to court

Police issued 56 tickets and gave out 22 warnings by the time the two-hour operation ended Tuesday morning

Robinson said he 'spotted over 30 in an hour' and police had issued 56 tickets and given out 22 warnings to drivers by the time the two-hour operation ended around 9.30am on Tuesday.

The fine for using a handheld device while driving is $83 for a first violation, but then increases to $140 and then $160 for subsequent violations.

There is also a fine for texting while driving which is $70 and counts one point on a driver’s license.

Police gave out four warnings and four tickets for texting and 39 tickets and nine warnings for using a handheld device while driving.

The additional tickets and warnings were issued for driving on the shoulder, driving without a license, negligent driving, failure to display registration and one ticket for a plate cover.

A sting operation to catch drivers who didn't stop for school buses was held earlier in the week.