The Rushville Police Department (RPD) participates in many of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute driving and safety programs each year.

Operation Pullover is one such program.

Operation Pullover is a fall carry-over of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign held in the spring. The program is designed to inform and promote awareness of seatbelt use and the reduction of injuries that their use can provide.

Local officers cited over 30 motorists and arrested four individuals over the recently concluded Labor Day weekend. The arrests and citations took place in addition to normal patrol hours and were accomplished in a 25 hour period.

The campaign was part of a comprehensive impaired driving prevention program organized by the U. S. Department of Transpiration’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that focuses on combining high visibility law enforcement with heightened public awareness through advertising and publicity.

“We were really hitting it. It is a lot more than writing citations. Just look at the DUI (driving under the influence) arrests made by officers after stopping motorists for a seatbelt violation,” RPD officer Doug Keith said.

Two of the arrests locally also involved additional drug use charges being filed against the drivers.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the state used roving saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints in an effort to prevent unnecessary tragedies that result from impaired driving.

“Impaired driving is not a victimless crime—it is the most frequent violent crime committed in the United States today,” executive director of the ICJI, Mike Cugegin, said.

He continued by saying, ”Officers all over the state of Indiana should be commended for all of their hard work and hours of overtime they put into removing impaired drivers from the roadways.”

When asked if they are winning the battle of removing impaired drivers from roads many county and local officers said, “No,” indicating it is a battle they face each time they go on duty.

The court-mandated bond to be released from jail for driving while intoxicated is $10,000.

Frank Denzler can be contacted at (765) 932-2222 or via e-mail at frank.denzler@cnhimedia.com. To add a comment to this story visit our Website at www.rushvillerepublican.com.