Joint Efforts By Warren Sheriff’s Dept., McMinnville PD, And McMinnville FD Receive TN Highway Safety Award

The Tennessee Highway Safety Office awarded Warren County the award for Tennessee’s Child Passenger Safety Fitting Station of the Year.

The work was a partnership between the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, McMinnville Police, and McMinnville Fire. Police Lieutenant Mark Mara said that they received the award for their commitment to child passenger safety during the pandemic.

“What we had done a step above why we received the award,” Mara said. “In 2020 because of COVID we didn’t get to do very many fitting events, we did a lot of car seat checks at homes and also at the fitting stations.”

Mara said that the departments also worked to provide the public with as much education as possible through Facebook, radio broadcasts, and virtual tutorials. He said that while it’s validating that their efforts have been recognized, it’s more important that the community has a heightened sense of safety awareness.

“Like I was telling my bosses,” Mara said. “We do this no matter what. We’re trying to get people to be safer when they’re operating motor vehicles and making sure the kids are in the car seats correctly so they’re not injured in a crash. So it just heightens all the awareness of our officers that we’re doing a good job.”

Mara said they plan on continuing their efforts, as well as further educating the community.

“We’ve expanded,” Mara said. “Tennesee Highway Patrol they had gotten child passenger seat technicians so that’s going to help us out tremendously. And we’re going to keep on doing what we’re doing, we’re just hoping to be able to do it more. And Hardy’s has given us coupons to help us promote the car seat checks as well.”