Awards given at annual banquet
Sheriff's department receives state honor
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

The Ripley County Sheriff's Department was recently honored with the Sheriff State Champion Award, after participating in the Operation Pull Over Program.

The department was honored at a banquet on November 19, at the 10th Annual Operation Pull Over event, where law enforcement officers representing agencies across the state were gathered. The banquet is held to celebrate a successful year of traffic safety enforcement and initiatives.

The efforts of six officers from the Ripley County Sheriff's Department won them the award. Participating officers included Chief Deputy David Pippin, Deputies Tom Grills, Mike Benjamin, Corky Houseworth, Rob Bradley, and Sgt. Randy Holt. Together they worked a total of 202 hours on the special project, handing out a total of 300 citations which included speeding, equipment violations, moving violations, 37 operating while intoxicated arrests, and 232 citations for seatbelt and/or child restraint violations. The program ran from October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004.

Operation Pull Over was funded by grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Awards were handed out to agencies across the state at the banquet with Ripley County Sheriff's Department receiving a $4,000 grant for equipment. According to Chief Deputy David Pippin, the money will be used to install an in-car camera and radar unit.

Last year the sheriff's department received a $2,000 grant when they were named the South Regional Champions.

According to statistics released from the sheriff's department, motor vehicle fatalities on Indiana roadways have decreased from 1,020 in 1999 to 834 in 2003, a decline of 18 percent. There were 262 alcohol-related fatalities in 2003 in Indiana - the lowest in recent decades and maybe in the state's history.

Jerry McCoy, former director of the Governor's Council on Impaired & Dangerous Driving told those gathered at the banquet, "This has been a year of successes for traffic safety in Indiana, and we owe those successes

in large part to the men and women gathered here today." There were approximately 500 law enforcement officers and traffic safety representatives at the banquet in Indianapolis.

With the Christmas and New Year's holidays coming up, Sheriff Bill Davison reminds motorists to drive responsibly, watch road conditions and buckle up. Proud of the efforts of his department to help to decrease fatalities on Ripley County roadways, the sheriff says it's not about writing tickets, it's about the safety of the residents and those traveling through the county.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Pictured standing from left are: Deputy Tom Grills, Sheriff Bill Davison, School Resource Officer Mike Benjamin, Sgt. Randy Holt, kneeling from left are: Chief Deputy David Pippin, Deputy Corky Houseworth, and Deputy Rob Bradley. The officers took part in Operation Pull Over that earned their department state champion title. They won awards and a $4000 grant for their efforts.