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Marty Gipson
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Clint Huth
DUNLAP, Tenn. — Saturation patrols and driver checkpoints in Sequatchie County are helping stem alcohol-related traffic fatalities, officials said.
“Sequatchie County was ranked No. 1 last year with five per capita deaths in 2006,” said Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Detective Marty Gipson.
“That’s the reason we got the grant,” said Detective Gipson, the Governor’s Highway Safety Office program director for the county.
Sequatchie and Dunlap received a joint grant of just less than $50,000 to pay for overtime and equipment, including five in-car video cameras and radar units, used to target drunk drivers.
Since November, county officers have made 41 arrests for alcohol-related traffic offenses, he said.
“I’ve notice from last year’s statistics that things have started to taper off and drop,” he said of early statistics in 2008.
Dunlap Police have made 20 alcohol-related traffic arrests since November, Chief Clint Huth said. The number of arrests is about average but the DUI conviction rate has improved drastically, the chief said.
“The DUI conviction rate in Dunlap City Court is in the mid-90 percentage range,” Chief Huth said. “That means the guys are not just getting the DUI offenders off the street, they’re making good cases.”
He also credits the district attorney’s office for aggressive prosecution.
The hot spots for patrols and checkpoints include U.S. Highway 127, state highways 8, 28, 111 and 399, officials said.
Detective Gipson and Chief Huth said patrols and checkpoints increase with warm weather.
PATROLLING SEQUATCHIE
Population: 13,000
Square miles: 273
County road miles: 368
City street miles: 31
Source: Governor’s Highway Safety Office
ALCOHOL-RELATED LOCAL DEATHS
2002: 6
2003: 4
2004: 12
2005: 2
2006: 4
2007: 5
Source: Sequatchie County law enforcement
Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee and previously covered North Georgia education. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties and later adding Marion, Grundy and other counties in the northern and western edges of the region to his coverage. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School. Benton ...
