McMinnville Police Department will be conducting saturation patrols on the weekend of Labor Day, Sept. 1.
“Labor Day weekend is one of our big holidays,” said McMinnville Police Department Lt. Mark Mara. “If you are going to drink, do not drive. We are encouraging people to arrange for designated drivers. We know the tendency to drink or take prescription medications is higher on the weekends.”
The city police department, as well as the Warren County Sheriff’s Department and Tennessee Highway Patrol, will be keeping watch over the weekend too.
“We just want to make the roads safer,” said Mara. “Saturation patrols aren’t about giving tickets. Some people still believe that they are. The patrols are about locating intoxicated drivers and removing them from the roads, making the roads safer for everyone.”
There is also the visual benefit in that motorists who drive in an unsafe manner will be encouraged to correct their bad habits, says Mara.
McMinnville Police Department receives funding for the saturation patrols from the Tennessee Governor’s Highway Safety Office and the fiscal year ends after Labor Day.
“It’s the last holiday we have during this grant period,” said Mara. “We do a lot with the grant money. We are using all of our resources and we use every bit of the money we get to make our roads safer. I’m confident we will receive another grant, because our efforts are making a difference. We are seeing fewer DUI arrests, and we are having less accidents involving impaired drivers.”
In order to help make the roads safer, the department is encouraging everyone to report vehicles being operated in an unsafe manner by calling 668-7000 or 911.
Please let the dispatcher know the street name and a detailed description of the vehicle. It would be helpful to provide, if possible, the make, model and color of the vehicle, as well as the license plate number.