The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office competed with several other agencies throughout the State of Maryland as well as nationally in the 2015 Law Enforcement Challenge (NLEC). The Sheriff’s Office was awarded 2nd place for its submission. The Maryland Law Enforcement Challenge (LEC) is a way to recognize the excellent work being done by our uniformed men and women. It encompasses all traffic initiatives, year round, with the goal of reducing traffic crashes that result in injuries and fatalities.
The program is supported through a cooperative agreement between the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Several members of the Sheriff’s Office from the Patrol and Special Operations Divisions participated in this challenge.
The statistics from the 2015 challenge consisted of the following:
- 201 arrests for impaired driving.
- 552 seat belt citations and 83 child safety seat citations.
- 98 written warnings and 25 verbal warnings for seat belt
- 1703 speeding citations were issued.
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| Pictured: Corporal Brian Connelly, Traffic Safety Unit |
“Each year the Sheriff’s Office strives to expand on their educational and enforcement initiatives. The National Law Enforcement Challenge is an example of our commitment to the safety of St. Mary’s County. We look forward to exceeding our goals in next year’s challenge,” said Lt. Robert Russell, Special Operations Division.
The Maryland LEC focuses upon three main traffic safety areas – enforcement of Maryland’s occupant protection laws, impaired driving prevention, and aggressive driving prevention. Smooth Operator, Click It Or Ticket, and Checkpoint Strike Force are campaigns that make up a large portion of the judging criteria required. A comprehensive traffic safety plan, such as motorcycle safety, younger/older driver safety, pedestrian/bicyclist safety, and innovative programs or technologies were also a criterion for the award.
