The LaPorte Police Department will be stepping up patrols during the Thanksgiving travel period.
Specialists mark the time for Thanksgiving road trips between November 13th and December 6th of each year.
The LaPorte Police Department will join more than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies to conduct the patrols. The goal is to encourage drivers and passengers to drive sober, and to use their seatbelts. Nine officers will work overtime to conduct sobriety patrols and checkpoints along local roadways in LaPorte County.
According to information released by the Department, there were 520 alcohol-related crashes in November of 2014 in Indiana. Those incidents resulted in three fatalities and 235 injuries reported.
The effort is supported by federal funding. During the increased enforcement efforts, officers will work 50 hours of extra seatbelt patrols and 72 hours of sobriety patrols.
The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute says keeping motorists safe during peak travel times is a priority in the state of Indiana.
