Don’t be surprised if you see more police officers out and about through New Year’s.
The Seward County Sheriff’s Office received a grant from the Nebraska Department of Transportation to add patrols between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. each night from Dec. 11 to Jan. 1. Sgt. Troy Schaefer said the grant will pay the overtime for officers choosing to work additional hours.
The patrols are in addition to the regular shifts already scheduled. Working the extra hours is up to the deputies, he said.
“We want to prevent crashes that are behavior related,” he said.
That means officers will watch specifically for drivers who are inattentive and/or intoxicated. Inexperienced drivers are also included because they don’t have the same amount of time behind the wheel, he said.
Schaefer said the department wants to reduce the number of crashes within the county. In 2022, there were 198 total crashes with six fatalities and 93 of the wrecks were behavior related. In 2023, the total jumped to 242 with one death on paved roads, and 109 were behavior related.
“We are out to eliminate crashes and fatalities,” he said.
Officers will be looking for DUI (driving under the influence), DUID (driving under the influence-drugged) and MIP (minor in possession). DUID includes both illegal substances and prescription medication.
“That’s becoming more common,” Schaefer said. “Pay attention to your medication. You don’t realize what it does to you.”
He said people around a person often notice medication effects more than the person taking the meds.
When it comes to identifying an impaired driver, officers watch for driving patterns – swerving, speed changes and more. Officers will also be looking for people texting and driving, something they see a lot of.
A person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 is legally impaired. Schaefer said there are multiple ways to prove impairment.
A DUI conviction costs, on average, $10,000, which includes court costs, missed work, increased insurance and more. Drivers can lose their license, vehicle, and sometimes their job. Schaefer said DUIs total $57 billion across the country in a year.
“Please don’t do this,” he said.
The grant will allow more officers to patrol, saturating areas throughout the county, Schaefer said. Roads that might see extra patrols include Highways 15 and 34, Interstate 80, 426nd Road, 420th Road and 238th Road.
The grant does not include patrols inside the Seward or Milford city limits.
The sheriff’s department has received grants like this before, and Schaefer said if they have the officers to support the program, they’ll go ahead with it.
“It’s strictly volunteer shifts,” he said. “We ask for a number of hours, and they set the schedule.”
With the Christmas and New Year’s Eve holidays included in the grant time frame, Schaefer recommended being responsible.
If you choose to drink, have a sober driver to take you home. If you’re the sober driver, stay sober.
If you’re not certain of your ability behind the wheel, have someone else drive.
“Let’s cut crashes down,” he said. “If we save just one life, it’s worth it.”
