Trumbull sheriff gets funds for program

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — The Trumbull County Sheriff’s Department will be out on patrol to enforce seat-belt usage in a program funded by the Ohio Department of Public Safety called “Click it or Ticket.”

The program will run from Monday through May 31, with deputies working 102 hours of overtime.

Deputies will focus mainly on seat-belt citations, but they will catch speeders, driving under the influence of alcohol or drug offenders and other traffic violators as well, the sheriff’s department reports.

Ohio law treats a seat-belt violation as a secondary offense, says Sarah Graham, corrections officer and grant writer for the sheriff’s department.

That means someone cannot be pulled over and cited just for failing to wear a seat belt, but they can be cited for it if the officer has probable cause to pull over the driver, such as another traffic violation.

The sheriff’s department also is completing an Ohio Department of Public Safety DUI and speeding enforcement program through Sunday.

Since May 1, deputies have issued 16 speed citations, one DUI citation and eight other citations, such as stop sign and driving while under suspension, Graham said.