
(Deming) – The Luna County Sheriff’s Department was able to increase patrols over the just-passed Memorial Day weekend thanks to grant assistance, and their stepped-up efforts will continue through September.
Traffic safety grants awarded to the Sheriff’s Department this federal fiscal year total nearly $38,000, including $16,780 for Operation DWI saturation patrols and checkpoints, and $12,480 for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, which pays for officer overtime to reduce the incidence of speeding, DWI, failure to use seatbelts and car seats, and other traffic violations.
Lt. Joy Mullins said the Sheriff’s Department has been participating in a two-week “Click it or Ticket” effort to encourage Luna County residents to use their seatbelts and car seats.
And, Mullins said, they will begin the “100 Days and Nights of Summer” push next month, which has been credited with decreasing the number of deaths – including alcohol-related fatalities – on state highways during the summer months. The LCSO received $7,880 for “100 Days and Nights of Summer.”
Mullins said she and her fellow officers are reminding drivers to buckle up, watch their speed and never drive impaired.