AMERICUS — The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) has been awarded a major traffic enforcement grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) in Atlanta.
The SCSO received the grant in recognition of its lifesaving work as the coordinating agency of GOHS’s West Central Traffic Enforcement Network. There are 16 traffic enforcement networks across the state that help enforce Georgia’s year-round safety belt, speed and impaired driving campaigns.
“This is our way of supporting the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office through its continued leadership via Coordinator Sgt. John Harty and the West Central traffic enforcement network,” said GOHS Law Enforcement Services Director Roger Hayes. “We want to make sure they can continue their region-wide efforts to protect Georgia motorists from drunk and otherwise dangerous drivers. They’ve proven their dedication and this grant serves not only as recognition for their hard work, but as means for continuing the GOHS mission of reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities on our roads.”
The West Central Traffic Enforcement Network includes law enforcement agencies in 15 counties, which include Talbot, Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Marion, Schley, Stewart, Webster, Sumter, Quitman, Randolph, Terrell, Clay, Taylor, Harris and Calhoun counties
“Road Safety is of paramount importance. Communities and neighborhoods are affected by negligent driving habits such as drinking and driving, speeding, talking and texting on cellular telephones. These habits affect the quality of life in our cities and counties. Just because an accident has never happened to you does not mean that it cannot happen. Put the alcohol down, slow down and put away the telephones or use Bluetooth devices,” said SCSO Sgt. John Harty.
The GOHS grant awards $20,000 to the SCSO, with half to support the activities of the traffic enforcement network and half to be spent on traffic safety equipment for SCSO. The coordinator in the West Central traffic enforcement network region will coordinate year-round waves of high visibility, concentrated patrols, multi-jurisdictional road checks and sobriety checkpoints. The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office will also serve as a partner in campaigns such as Click It or Ticket, Operation Zero Tolerance, and the Thunder Taskforce.
For more information on the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office award, call Sgt. John Harty at 229-924- 4094. For more information on the grant program, call 404-656-6996 or visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.