By By Connie Nowlin Managing editor
A traffic safety grant from the state will translate into more police officers on the roads of Atmore around the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to a press release, the $125,000 grant is to be shared among 12 counties.
The money is for the Click It or Ticket programs, in which extra patrols are put on the streets to enforce seat belt, child safety restraint and other laws, such as license and insurance compliance and safety equipment.
The money comes from the office of the governor, made available through the National Highway Safety Administration and administered through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
In Atmore, the grant will be used for two safety checkpoints and two roving patrols with up to eight officers. Those officers on the street are in addition to regular patrols.
"This is a great way to get extra officers out on the streets and make them safer for everybody," said Investigator Chuck Brooks of the Atmore Police Department.
Although seat belt and child safety restraint usage will be highlighted, the officers will also be looking for intoxicated drivers, checking for correct insurance and license documentation, as well as making sure vehicles are properly equipped with lights.
The enforcement blitz will be held with a roving patrol 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Nov. 21, a checkpoint from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 22 at U.S. 31 and Cinderbrand Road, a second roving patrol 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Nov. 28 and a second checkpoint from noon to 4 p.m. at Jack Springs Road and Swift Street.
Participation in the program makes the department eligible for equipment such as field sobriety test equipment.
"We submitted our statistics from this year," Brooks said. "We had the Memorial Day blitz, and I am very optimistic, because we had very good stats."
He said the department would not be notified whether it would receive equipment until next year.