Since most people don’t want to get a speeding ticket any more than they want to get COVID-19, Jennings County Sheriff Kenny Freeman has a friendly word for the wise.
“It’s just a truth that law enforcement officers tend to give more tickets if they are aggravated,” Freeman said. “Around here, we like to give more warnings than tickets. If we see someone doing something dangerous, when we can, we’ll pull them over and tell them not to do that again and hope they don’t.”
While traffic has been down across the state, police officers have cited that many vehicles on the roads have been driving at higher speeds.
In Jennings County, officers are taking extra safety precautions, but aren’t afraid to pull drivers over.
“If a sheriff’s deputy or city officer sees you speeding or doing something reckless and they have to pull you over, there is no way they can observe social distancing and still do their job,” Freeman said. “And, they will do their job.”
Freeman asks that citizens follow the laws so everyone can stay healthy, and help slow the spread of the virus.
“Everyone has a lot of things on their mind right now, but when you are out driving around pay close attention to your driving,” Freeman said. “Avoid a ticket. Don’t make an officer aggravated because they have to put their own health at risk by walking up close to your car window.”