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January 9, 2009

City sees drop in number of offenses; county sees rise

Anonymous The Meridian Star Fri Jan 09, 2009, 11:39 PM CST

By Brian Livingston

blivingston@themeridianstar.com

Despite the overall number of people who drew some sort of offense during the recent holiday safe driving blitz — "Over the Limit, Under Arrest" — an important factor is not one traffic fatality was recorded in Lauderdale County during the blitz period from Dec. 13 through Dec. 31.

An optimist, such as Meridian Police Department Administrative Capt. Rick McCary, likes to believe the lower numbers recorded in Meridian are due to motorists becoming more aware of traffic laws. A pessimist, however, might assume that law enforcement officers missed the large majority of offenders.

"No matter how you look at the numbers, the fact we ran almost an equal number of checkpoints for about the same time frame as last year, we still noted there were fewer offenders this year," said McCary. "That's encouraging."

Officials with the MPD said the overall number of offenders during the period was 17 percent below last year's total. In one of the crucial categories relating to DUIs, the MPD arrested 23 people as opposed to 30 arrests during the same period last year. In all, covering such violations as the non-use of seat belts to possession of drugs, 599 citations and arrests were made during the 18-day period.

Deputies of the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department logged 247 citations and arrests written in the same period. LCSD Chief Dep. Ward Calhoun said the final tally was up slightly from last year. But the most important element of the blitz, according to him, was the fact no one lost their life in a vehicle accident.

"We were happy to join other law enforcement agencies in the county, state and nationally to try and make the roadways safer," said Calhoun. "One of the goals to the blitz was to plant a message into the minds of motorists not to drive under the influence of anything and to drive safely. I hope that message continues into this new year."

Calhoun noted the amount of time and effort by deputies during this busy time of year in manning these checkpoints.

"We have a dedicated force of men and women," he added. "I hope the people of Lauderdale County understand the time they spent away from their own families during this holiday period in order to try and keep the roadways safe for others."

The numbers:

LCSD

DUI arrests: 11

Seat belt violations: 38

Child restraint violations: 5

Felony arrests: 0

Fugitives apprehended: 35

Suspended licenses: 20

Uninsured motorists: 25

Speeding: 0

Reckless driving: 3

Drug arrests: 4

Other: 106

MPD

DUIs: 23

Seat belt violations: 86

Child restraint violations: 72

Warrants served: 6

Suspended licenses: 41

Uninsured motorists: 87

Speeding: 86

Reckless driving: 30

Drug arrests: 4

Other violations: 164

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