News Regarding Memorial Day Stories 2008

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IOWA -

Agencies to begin traffic enforcement program
By KEN BLACK, TIMES-REPUBLICAN
POSTED: May 17, 2008
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Local law enforcement agencies across the state, including the Marshalltown Police Department and Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, will be participating in a special traffic enforcement program in conjunction with the Memorial Day holiday.

The program begins Monday and continues through the end of the month.

Memorial Day, considered by many to be the unofficial kickoff to summer, has a reputation as being one of the deadliest holidays for travelers and partiers.

Marshalltown, in the past, has not been one of those communities that has seen a significant increase in problems around the holiday, according to Marshalltown Police Chief Lon Walker.

In interviews he previously has given, Walker said the local area’s lack of water recreation, such as a boating lake, have helped to keep numbers down.

Usually, those interested in such opportunities will drive elsewhere in the state, he added. While that may increase the number of vehicles on rural roads, it generally has not caused much of a problem.

While the emphasis on special traffic enforcement is generally geared toward all types of traffic violations, seat belt usage is also a big part of the program.

Before and after the increase in enforcement, law enforcement agencies usually conduct “surveys” to determine how many drivers are in compliance with seat belt laws. Past surveys have shown an average of well more than 90 percent in Marshall County.

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Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com

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Salina Police Memorial Day Mobilization Begins Monday

Salina Police will have extra officers on patrol, specifically looking for seatbelt violations, leading up to the Memorial Day holiday.

Police Lt. Russ Lamer tells KSAL news that a Special Traffic Enforcement Program will begin on Monday. From Monday through June 1st, extra officers will be on patrol at various times.

Lamer says that officers will be specifically looking for seatbelt violations, including child passenger safety seat and booster seat violations. They will also enforce any other violations they encounter.

Lamer anticipates about 90 overtime hours in the effort.

The Special Traffic Enforcement Program is funded through a federal grant, and part the nationwide "Buckle Up America" campaign.

©KSALLink.com

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W.Va. State Police gearing up for Memorial Day traffic enforcement
May 16, 2008 @ 01:41 PM
By The Herald-Dispatch
Herald-Dispatch.com

The West Virginia State Police has three highway safety campaigns planned in preparation for the 2008 Memorial Day weekend.

The Click It or Ticket Mobilization blitz period began Monday, May 12, and will end on Sunday, June 6.

Last month, the state was awarded $5 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for being one of four states nationwide to maintain a seatbelt usage rate of 85 percent or more for two consecutive years. The current seatbelt usage rate is 89.5 percent.

Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) will begin on Friday, May 23, and end on Monday, May 26, 2008. This national campaign was formed as a multi-jurisdictional program of patrol, enforcement and planning activities that are focused on accident reduction. On average, there are six C.A.R.E. enforcement periods every year.

The last campaign, All American Buckle-Up Week, begins on Monday, May 19, and ends on Monday, May 26. It educates drivers about the importance of using seat belts and child safety restraint devices.

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Vermont State Police Trooper Garry Scott was one of two dozen law enforcement officers patrolling Jericho, Underhill and Westford Monday -- clocking speeders and checking for other violations.

It was a saturated effort to crack down on dangerous driving and other infractions that may have otherwise been overlooked -- from arresting people on outstanding warrants to checking on compliance with the sex offender registry.

"It's the law," said Lt. Dee Glynn of the Vermont State Police. "They do need to be in compliance, and being out in the community it's a good opportunity for us to check in and include that in this initiative."

Glynn said this is the first time this year law enforcement from so many different agencies have joined forces in this way. The Vermont State Police were joined by members of the U.S. Marshals Office and the state's Probation and Parole Department, among other agencies, thanks to a combination of grants that helped them step up their efforts.

"This is above and beyond our normal resources and our normal shift coverage," she said.

Police said the upcoming holiday weekend is a good time to remind people to slow down. More people are travelling, and more people are potential victims.

"As the weather gets warmer, people tend to drive a little bit quicker and more people are on the roads right now, bicycling or running," Scott said. "The kids are not particularly paying attention to how fast a car is coming by them. We want people to know they need to keep their speeds down and obey the speed limits."

And they wanted to remind people on -- and off the road -- that they're serious about safety.

"If we have sex offenders in this area that are not registered and not being checked in on, they're likely to commit the crimes again," Scott said. "We want them to be aware we know they're in the community and we're watching them."

In all, police arrested two people for vehicle violations. Another person was arrested on an outstanding warrant. Officers wrote 22 traffic tickets -- and issued 26 warnings to drivers.

Monday's sweep focused on Underhill, Jericho and Westford, but police hope to be out in other communities later this year.

Kate Duffy - WCAX News