By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
JEFFERSON — In the next few weeks, students in a hurry to reach school may see some red and blue lights in their rearview mirror.
State grants will soon help local law enforcement keep a close watch on teen drivers as they travel to and from classes, said Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Lt. Greg Leonhard.
The Sheriff’s Department received more than $44,000 from the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio Traffic Safety Office for driving-related enforcement work, Leonhard said. Part of that initiative will be a crackdown on reckless driving exhibited by students before and after school, he said.
Deputies have received reports of young people speeding through neighborhoods to reach classes, Leonhard said. At the final bell, students are seemingly just as anxious to head home.
Some of the state money will be used to put deputies on patrol on streets around school in the morning and at dismissal. Schools will be picked at random for the special attention, and the department plans to coordinate with municipal and village police departments.
The enforcement program could begin in a few weeks, Leonhard said. “Students need to be aware,” he said.
For 15 years, the Sheriff’s Department has been receiving the traffic enforcement grant for special high-visibility enforcement overtime, Leonhard said. The program helps put extra deputies on the road on days of special events, including holidays and Super Bowl Sunday, he said.
The money will also help the department keep tabs on local festivals where alcohol is served, Leonhard said.
This year, the department received an extra $8,000, which will be used for education and to help purchase gas for cruisers. “Departments have struggled due to fuel costs,” Leonhard said.
The program is separate from the OVI Task Force that periodically sends officers out on special traffic programs, but has proven just as effective, Leonhard said. Over the years, the number of fatal accidents within the department’s jurisdiction has shrunk, he said.
“We’ve had nine fatal accidents so far this year,” Leonhard said. “Just a few years ago our fatal accidents numbered in the 20s.”
