Three hours of intensive patrols and a license checking station tallied 51 citations Friday.
The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office, working with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office, Tabor City Police and the Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) joined together for a saturation operation to ensure compliance with motor vehicle laws and reduced impaired driving, Sheriff Bill Rogers said in a press release.
“Operations like this are not about writing tickets – they are about preventing tragedies before they happen,” Rogers said. “Impaired driving and motor vehicle violations continue to be leading causes of serious crashes.”
The Columbus County Sheriffs Office requested support from the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services Forensic Test for Alcohol Branch, which deployed their BAT (Breathing Alcohol Testing) Mobile Unit.
The BAT Mobile Unit is equipped with a Magistrate’s Office, multiple evidential breath alcohol testing instruments, fingerprinting equipment and on-site processing capability to book suspects without an immediate trip to the nearest magistrate’s office.
A total of 31 officers participated in this operation. During the first shift, 21 citations were issued, ranging from no operator’s license (1) to registration violations (11). One fugitive was also arrested.
During the second wave, from 9-11 p.m., a total of 30 citations were arrested. Charges ranged from nine drivers without a license to four restraint violations and multiple minor offenses.
