Sheriff’s officers to target I-35 corridor over holiday
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The Lyon County Sheriff’s department will partner with other law enforcement agencies across the country as part of a High Corridor Enforcement Action during the Labor Day weekend and the period leading up to it.
High levels of enforcement will begin on Aug. 30 with a focus on Interstate 35. Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas will participate with Kansas in the effort, according to information from Deputy Ed Serrano.
The agencies will focus on speed, impaired driving and seatbelt violations. Officers will have zero tolerance for people who drive impaired, under the influence of intoxicants or those who refuse to use proper restraints for themselves and their passengers.
“It is our mission as law enforcement to reduce the injuries and deaths on our roadways,” said Sheriff Gary Eichorn. “If we can get people to slow down, buckle up and stop drinking and driving, countless lives will be saved.”
Serrano said 464 people died on Kansas roadways in 2006. He emphasized that using seatbelts and child-safety restraints is one of the best ways to prevent death and injury.
The state’s seatbelt usage, at 73 percent, is the seventh worse in the nation, Serrano said. The national average in 2005 was 82 percent.