The Jones County Sheriff's Department conducted traffic safety saturation patrols and safety checkpoints during the months of August and September 2020 utilizing overtime grant funding via two grants provided by the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety. The enforcement results which included citations are as follows:
Seatbelt citations: 374
No Insurance citations: 349
No Drivers License citations: 202
Written Warning citations: 167
Suspended Drivers License citations: 141
Child Restraint Device citations: 59
Reckless/Careless Driving citations: 39
Drug arrests:34
DUI Alcohol arrests: 26
Fugitives Apprehended: 21
Felony Arrests: 17
DUI Assist To Others: 15
DUI Other - Drugs: 12
Jones County Sheriff Joe Berlin notes, "We have utilized overtime grant funding from the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety to conduct enhanced patrols and safety checkpoints aimed specifically at taking impaired drivers off of our roadways and enforcing seatbelt and child safety restraint device usage as well as enforcement of other traffic safety laws." Berlin adds, "During the months of August and September, these overtime patrols enforced traffic safety laws and in addition resulted in the arrests of twenty-one wanted fugitives with an additional seventeen felony arrests reported. Our goal is to increase safety on our roadways in Jones County and residents can expect to see deputies conducting saturation patrols and safety checkpoints throughout Fiscal Year 2021 which began on October 1st utilizing additional overtime grant funding awarded by the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety."