The Columbus Police Department should soon be at full staff thanks to a N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety grant, which will pay a substantial amount of costs for a new officer, vehicle and equipment the first year.
Columbus Town Council met Thursday, Aug. 18 and accepted the grant. The grant total for the first year is $79,695, with the town’s portion being $14,064.
The grant pays for 85 percent of costs for the officer and equipment the first year, 70 percent the second year and 50 percent the third year. The town contributes the full salary the fourth and final years. All costs for the vehicle are paid for through the grant, as well as costs for equipping the vehicle and officer.
“Although the enforcement of motor vehicle laws in the Town of Columbus will be part of the officer’s duties, the Columbus Police Department will place an emphasis on public education through the traffic officer,” said Columbus Police Chief Chris Beddingfield. “The officer will be available for educational events at local schools, churches, retirement communities and other civic organizations.”
Beddingfield said through the grant, his department hopes to reduce both the frequency and the severity of traffic collisions, increase occupant safety restraint usage (including seatbelts, child safety seats and motorcycle/moped helmets), decrease the number of impaired drivers and decrease speeding through town.
The traffic officer will hold and maintain certifications in Standarized Field Sobriety Tests, Alcohol Screening Test Devices, Radio Detecting and Ranging (RADAR), Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), Traffic Crash Reconstruction, Child Protection Seat and Drug Recognition Expert, as well as other certifications, according to Beddingfield.
The officer will also be responsible for investigating collisions, be on call for serious injury and/or fatality collisions, conduct educational events, organize and coordinate multi-agency checkpoints, be involved with high school driver’s education and criminal justice courses and community outreach, Beddingfield said.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office was also recently awarded the same governor’s highway safety grant and will add a traffic enforcer sometime this fall. Columbus, the sheriff’s office and the Tryon Police Department are all involved with the governor’s highway safety program, which gives the agencies points to purchase equipment each year and makes them eligible for this type of officer grant.
Columbus, Tryon and the sheriff’s office conducted a joint checkpoint recently through the highway safety program, with Columbus seizing almost $160,000 in drug money through that checkpoint. A portion of that seizure money will come back to the departments involved.
Regular checkpoints through the program include Booze It, Lose it; Click it or Ticket and No Need 2 Speed.
Beddingfield said the traffic officer will be available to aid any local law enforcement agency that requests assistance and urges anyone to contact the Columbus Police Department at 828-894-5464 to schedule a traffic safety or crime prevention presentation.