Officers enforce rules of the road
6/28/2008 12:04 AM   2 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend



By KAREN DAILY

Staff writer

North Augusta Public Safety officer John Rutland scribbles words on a notepad after a traffic stop, writing a few reminders he may need for court.

During a Law Enforcement Network (LEN) traffic enforcement effort on U.S. Highway 1 Friday afternoon, Rutland, much like the other 11 officers taking part in the effort, made a number of traffic stops, and he said he needs to jot down a few memos. In one instance, he included the lane in which the motorist was driving and noted the vehicle the driver sped past.

"That way, when we get to court, I won't have to guess because in a day like this, I may make 15 more cases," Rutland said.

Having served for six years as a traffic officer with North Augusta Public Safety, working with the LEN seems a perfect fit.

The network is a multi-jurisdictional traffic unit. The Aiken-area network is part of the Second Judicial Circuit and involves police officers and sheriff's office deputies from Aiken, Bamberg and Barnwell counties.

Lt. Tim Pearson heads North Augusta's traffic team and is the coordinator of the local LEN.

He explained that the group meets at least monthly, picking areas where there has been an upswing in certain offenses or known problems.

"We want to show the public that we are a presence and we are very concerned about our roadways," he said.

North Augusta's traffic unit, under Pearson's direction, and now the LEN are known to be tough on speeders.

Admittedly, Rutland said he is aware there is sometimes a perception that North Augusta is too tough on speeders, but he argued that is not the case.

"We are not setting speed traps or finding out what days a construction zone is slowed and running out to write tickets," he said. "We write a good many warnings, and we are aggressive but fair."

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office has at times struggled with a different perception - that it doesn't enforce traffic rules.

Sgt. Steve Deibel, a deputy and member of the LEN, said there were times under the old administration that there weren't as many deputies on the road, and with the volume of calls to the office, the deputies were less involved in traffic enforcement.

"It was hard to work calls and traffic with somewhere between four to eight deputies on the road," he said. "But when Sheriff (Michael) Hunt was elected, he added deputies to the road, and we had time to do more enforcement."

From Deibel's perspective, that is a very good thing.

"If you are making quality stops, the public understands what you are doing," he said. "Ideally, you make that stop and it is a learning experience for the driver."

The key, he added, is treating the driver with respect.

During Friday's enforcement, officers with Aiken Public Safety, Aiken County Sheriff's Office, North Augusta Public Safety, S.C. Highway Patrol, S.C. State Transport Police, S.C. State Constables and the Wagener Police Department issued 10 seat belt citations, 17 speeding tickets and 16 other citations, such as following too closely.

The same network will be out in the upcoming week, preparing for the extended Independence Day weekend.

Contact Karen Daily at kdaily@aikenstandard.com.

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