The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office announced today that it has been awarded a $67,760 High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). The funding, which comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is intended to help the sheriff’s office expand its traffic‑safety efforts throughout Chatham County.
What the grant will fund
According to Sheriff Richard S. Coleman, the grant will be used to purchase new traffic‑safety equipment and to finance additional enforcement hours. “Our goal is to reduce accidents, save lives and ensure safer roadways for everyone in Chatham County,” Coleman said.
High Visibility Enforcement explained
High Visibility Enforcement combines highly visible, proactive policing with public‑education campaigns. By targeting specific dangerous driving behaviors—such as impaired driving, failure to wear seatbelts, and speeding—officers hope to change habits that contribute to the majority of fatal and serious‑injury crashes on Georgia’s roads. The approach pairs visible patrols with outreach messages that encourage voluntary compliance.
State partnership and broader campaigns
Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, noted that “crash data shows enforcement and education of traffic laws are two of the most effective countermeasures to help our state and nation reduce crashes and eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads.” The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office will coordinate its HVE activities with existing state campaigns, including the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over DUI initiative and the Click It or Ticket seat‑belt campaign. The office also plans to conduct multi‑jurisdictional sobriety checkpoints and other high‑visibility patrols throughout the year.
Grant timeline
The grant will remain in effect through September 2027, giving the sheriff’s office more than a year to implement new equipment, increase patrol presence, and evaluate the impact on traffic safety.
How to learn more
Members of the public who want additional information about the grant or upcoming traffic‑safety events can contact Lieutenant Jason Bragg at [email protected] or call 912‑652‑7640. Further details about GOHS programs are available at www.gahighwaysafety.org.
Original reporting: The Savannah Tribune — read the source article.
