Operation Pull Over to spark
increase in city police patrol
By Richard Payne
Staff
Writer
Local police have received a boost from the state
government.
Every year, the Cities of West Lafayette and Lafayette
apply to the Governor’s Council on Impaired and Dangerous Drivers
for a grant to increase traffic patrols in cooperation with Operation
Pull Over.
This year, local police got their wish.
The operation is a state-wide project, according
to Michael Francis of the West Lafayette Police Department and Lt. Jeanette
Bennett of the Lafayette Police Department.
"The financial assistance given is determined in
correlation to the population of the city that applied," said Francis.
Each year is divided into four different sections
referred to as a blitz. Each blitz coincides with a different holiday,
one around Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day and Labor
Day.
"Each has a different focus," said Bennett.
The state is running Blitz 28 now, which focuses
on family travel.
Most recently, the West Lafayette Police Department
ran a Seat Belt Enforcement Zone in conjunction with Blitz 28 and the
Lafayette Police Department plans on running a Zone on Monday.
Lafayette first participated in Operation Pull
Over during Blitz nine in 1996 and has participated in Blitz ever since,
according to Bennett. Their grant was renewed for 2001-2002. The next
segment of Operation Pull Over starts Sunday and will end Sept. 8.
According to a press release, over 180 law enforcement
agencies participate in Operation Pull Over. In addition to regular
patrols, officers are brought in to work additional shifts and regular
days off to enforce traffic laws.
According to Francis, the extra officers will also
help to patrol school zones.
According to the 2000 report for the Roadside Observation
Survey of Seat Belt Use in Indiana, the Governor's Council increased
funding for Operation Pull Over during fiscal year 2001. The council
funded the 23 most populated counties of Indiana, which includes Tippecanoe
County.
In addition to seat belt checkpoints, driver sobriety
checkpoints were to be used by the West Lafayette Police Department
as part of Operation Pull Over until they were ruled unconstitutional
last year, said Francis.
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