DALLAS - It's called 'Operation Pay or Stay.'

It's a major traffic ticket collection campaign by the City of Dallas.

The idea is - either pay the fines or spend some time in jail.

The list is long and total tab is a whopper.

The phone calls are often shocking because some dollar amounts are staggering.

One person owes up to $20,000 in outstanding traffic tickets.

Women from a local collection agency have set up shop in the Dallas City marshall's office to call the offenders.

"What we're keying in on is one, education, and then two - responsibility," said Mary Morris.

Al Dia

Offenders are offered the choice of paying a fine or spending time in jail.

It's part of a major effort starting this week to crack down and collect.

But it's a tough call.

"They either tell us they don't have any tickets or they did time served, but they don't have any paperwork showing that they did time," said Shontae Franklin.

Here's the list. A complete roster of outstanding traffic warrants for the City of Dallas is now online. The amounts add up to a whopping $79 million.

"We have one individual who I think he has over 100 warrants," said Morris.

The biggest single offender?

Brenda Cook - who owes the city more than $19,000.

But she - and many of these citizens - can be hard to track down.

We went looking for Nicholas Pinkard, who owes more than $8,000 in traffic tickets.

A man claimed to know Mr. Pinkard, who ironically had just left the house.

Pretty soon, the city will send out deputy marshalls to knock and arrest.

It's part of a major push the city's making to collect some of that $79 million.

"Either satisfy the warrants or go to jail, period," said Morris.

E-mail jbrady@wfaa.com.