The Jones County Sheriff's Department participated in the 2020 national enforcement mobilization "Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over" campaign conducted August 21 - September 7, 2020. Operating under two overtime grants awarded by the Mississippi Office of Highway Safety, JCSD deputies utilizing thirty-six (36) saturation patrol details made arrests and issued citations as follows:
DUI - Alcohol Arrests: 10
DUI - Drugs Arrests: 5
Seatbelt Citations: 238
Child Restraint Citations: 31
Other traffic offenses noted during the grant-funded saturation patrols, in which citations or arrests were issued, included:
No Insurance: 181
No Drivers License: 87
Suspended Drivers License: 74
Written Warnings: 74
Reckless/Careless Driving: 23
Drug Arrests: 20
Felony Arrests: 11
Fugitives Apprehended: 14
*These grant-funded arrests and citations do not include normal, daily JCSD Patrol Division traffic safety arrests and citations made as a result of patrol activities.
"JCSD participated in the national "Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over" Campaign (DSOGPO) which has as the main objective removing impaired drivers from our roadways ," notes Jones County Sheriff Joe Berlin. He adds, "During these saturation patrols, citations were issued to those who were in violation of other State of Mississippi highway safety laws as well. JCSD deputies also made numerous arrests of subjects who were in violation of felony laws and/or were wanted subjects."
Sheriff Berlin concludes, "Needless to say, we were very pleased as a result of these grant-funded overtime DSOGPO details that we were able to take fifteen (15) impaired drivers off our roadways, capture fourteen (14) wanted fugitives, make twenty (20) drug arrests, and make eleven (11) felony arrests. We consider this 2020 DSOGPO campaign to have been an overwhelming success given these results."