For the Miami Valley Today

MIAMI COUNTY — The Miami County Sheriff’s Office will be deploying extra deputies working a combined 56 hours in overtime for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The extra deputies will conclude the traffic enforcement details on Sunday, Nov. 28.

The added enforcement will be for the sole purpose of enforcing all of Ohio’s traffic statutes. Special emphasis will be placed on removing impaired drivers, seatbelt enforcement, speeders, stop sign violators, and other crash causing infractions. The deputies will be deployed throughout the county at various time frames. There will be a zero tolerance for violators during this time frame in an attempt to limit crashes on Miami County roadways and ensure everyone has a safe Thanksgiving holiday. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend has traditionally seen a dramatic increase in crashes and crashes in which at least one driver has been drinking. The Sheriff’s Office urges all motorists to have a designated driver if they choose to drink over the holidays.

The extra traffic enforcement is being made possible through a grant the Sheriff’s Office received this year from the Ohio Traffic Safety Office. The grant funds the overtime for the deputies and pays some fuel costs.