Law officers preparing for holiday weekend

Features

Related Photos

Tahlequah Officer Robert “Mo” Jones finishes a report on the computer. Jones and several of his co-workers will be on the streets during the upcoming Labor Day weekend, watching out for the aggressive and drinking drivers. Bob Gibbins

Discussion

September 1, 2010

By BOB GIBBINS Staff Writer The Tahlequah Daily Press Wed Sep 01, 2010, 12:21 PM CDT

TAHLEQUAH — People in and around Tahlequah on the Labor Day weekend can expect to see a large number of city, county and state law enforcement officers sharing the streets.

Police Chief Clay Mahaney announced earlier this month he will have additional officers on the streets. His officers will also be working with other agencies, looking for aggressive and drinking drivers as part of a “Drunk Driving... Over the Limit... Under Arrest” campaign.

The initiative actually started Aug. 20, but continues through the coming weekend.

Mahaney intends to have officers out working overtime shifts in addition to the typical patrol shifts.

Cherokee County Sheriff Norman Fisher said his staff will be out and paying extra attention to high traffic areas like Lake Tenkiller and the Illinois River.

“We know there is always a lot of people in and around Tahlequah during that weekend,” Fisher said. “The Cherokee National Holiday brings in a big crowd and the fact that it’s traditionally thought of as the last big weekend of the summer will bring people out to the lake and river.”

The sheriff said his biggest concern is that people enjoy themselves, but do it safely.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Mike Harrell said earlier this month that OHP troopers will be working highway safety shifts. He said traffic deaths due to drinking drivers dropped from 2007 to 2008.

“They’re still too high,” he said. “For this reason, the OHP will join thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country in support of an intensive crackdown against impaired drivers.”

Harrell said nearly 12,000 people died across the nation in 2008 in crashes wherein a driver or motorcycle rider was at or above the legal limit of intoxication.

He said 32 percent of all fatalities in vehicle crashes involve an impaired driver and an average of one drunk driving crashes occurs every 45 minutes.

He said the risks increase for the youngest drivers, ages 16-24.

“Impaired driving is not an ‘accident,’ it is a crime,” Harrell said

“Law enforcement is committed to reduce the carnage by intensifying enforcement during this crackdown that will continue through the Labor Day holiday travel period.”

Area law enforcement officers will increase traffic enforcement activities during this time with an emphasis on speeding and collision causing violations, restraint enforcement and vigilance during high-risk times for impaired driving to reduce the risk of crashes for all.

Text Only

Features

Be careful when floating your boat
With a countless number of families expected to enjoy this Memorial Day weekend at the lake or in swimming pools, The National Safe Boating Council Inc. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging everyone to step up their safety awareness while in and around a water environment.

May 23, 2012
Glenn liked Tahlequah’s ‘weirdness’
For Eddie Glenn, playing music at the 2000 Cherokee Medal of Honor awards and having James Earl Jones compliment his singing voice is the memory of a lifetime.

May 22, 2012
Summer chock-full of blockbusters
There is no season quite like summer. School is out, baseball season is in full swing, Tenkiller Lake is full of boaters, the Illinois River is ripe for floating, and soon, the summer blockbusters will hit the theaters.

May 16, 2012
Tanning today could mean trouble later
Questioning, and sometimes even ignoring, authority is a hallmark of youth, and can often teach valuable life lessons.

May 16, 2012
Veterans groups have busy schedules
Cherokee County boasts several active veterans organizations, with overlapping members – and some of them are rising to prestigious positions.

May 9, 2012 1 Photo
Volunteering gives Smith skills, confidence
Volunteering has taught Tonya Smith to use power tools and given her confidence.

May 8, 2012
Art a sublime experience for Emerson
Growing up in Tahlequah, Judith Emerson didn’t imagine she’d return as an artist and writer. But she has – after living in New York, raising her daughter and traveling.

May 1, 2012
Class teaches cultural tradition
As any good fashionista knows, a leather purse is a wardrobe staple. But leather purses were first crafter for functionality, rather than fashion.

April 30, 2012
Expert gives program on shell mounds
University of Oklahoma’s Department of Anthropology assistant professor Dr. Asa Randall has spent years studying archaic shell mounds, particularly those along the St. Johns River in Florida.

April 30, 2012
Library kicks off new Living Green series
These days, more and more people want to know where their food comes from, and many prefer a source close to home.

April 23, 2012
More Features Headlines

What do you plan to do over the Memorial Day weekend?

Features

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Law officers preparing for holiday weekend

What do you plan to do over the Memorial Day weekend?

Site Map

Contact Us