News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Overton County Sheriff’s Office will be able to expand services toward impaired driving thanks to a $20,000 grant.
The Tennessee Highway Safety Office funded the grant. Sheriff John Garrett said the funds have helped the sheriff’s office tremendously.
“[It helps] being able to use this grant money for not only training, equipment, but also overtime pay for deputies that are off shift for saturations and or roadblocks to help with the endeavors of the impaired driving campaign,” Garrett said.
Garrett said advanced training courses teaching deputies to recognize, enforce, and prosecute impaired drivers are funded through the grant. Equipment the department have purchased before include electric road flares and hand-held intoximeters.
The sheriff’s office has received this grant for over a decade. Garrett said every year THSO chooses a different safety campaign, such as sobriety check points or saturations for impaired drivers.
“We don’t have to use that money during that time, but we do try to participate in the campaigns as well,” Garrett said. “Maybe even like with Hands Across The Boarder with other states.”
Garrett said he believes there are more drug impairment cases than alcohol cases.
