RHEA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT INCREASES IMPAIRED DRIVING ENFORCEMENT SURROUNDING THE LABOR DAY HOLIDAY DAYTON, TN
Rhea County Sheriff’s Department is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) for its “Booze it and Lose it” campaign from August 16 through September 4, surrounding the Labor Day holiday. This initiative coincided with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” mobilization to increase impaired driving enforcement nationwide. The Sheriff’s Department will focus their efforts on Alcohol and Traffic Enforcement targeting alcohol and speed violations for the upcoming holiday.
The Sheriff’s Department will conduct highly visible saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints. To ensure the safety of the public, the sheriff’s office will be enforcing a Zero Tolerance Policy on speeding, drunk and impaired driving, and seat belt violations.
Sobriety checkpoints will be set up throughout Rhea County. ln addition to sobriety checkpoints deputies will conduct highly visible saturation patrols in efforts to maintain the safety of our roadways. “We can’t stand to see this tragic loss of life again and again,” said Sheriff Mike Neal “The hardest part of the job is making that call and telling a family member that their loved one is gone because someone chose to drink and drive. Please find a safe and sober ride home.”
Increased state and national messaging about the dangers of drunk driving, coupled with increased sobriety checkpoints and high visibility enforcement, aim to drastically reduce the number of drunk-driving crashes, injuries, and fatalities this year.
The consequences of a single DUI conviction for a first-time offender in the State of Tennessee may include costly fines, court costs, legal fees, jailtime, mandatory drug and alcohol treatment, and or the installation of an ignition interlock device in his/her vehicle.
The THSO provides grant funding to support the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department’s increased enforcement efforts during the “Booze it and Lose it” campaign. For more information about the THSO, please visit