The eight officers from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department who took part in a recent Operation Pull Over enforcement blitz logged 81 hours of overtime during the 24-day period.
They were focused on seatbelt violations and impaired drivers traveling during the holidays. During that time the officers wrote more than 80 tickets for various violations and made five arrests for driving while intoxicated within Marshall County.
Their efforts were funded by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. They estimate on average more than 10,000 people die on U.S. roadways due to intoxicated driving. NTSB statistics also indicate seatbelts saved more than 12,000 lives nationwide in 2012 alone. In Indiana, passenger car seatbelt usage in 2014 was more than 90 percent.
Increased enforcement during the Thanksgiving Holiday period is an annual statewide effort supported by federal highway safety funding. The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute distributes funding to more than 250 participating Indiana law enforcement agencies.
