ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions and shares tips about the rules of the road, helping Central Florida residents become better drivers by being better educated.
Trooper Steve on Thursday was asked about extra law enforcement patrols during the holiday season.
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“Just like any company or organization, police departments are made up of a lot of different roles, not just patrol officers,” Trooper Steve said. “There are administrative positions, training units, recruiting teams, community outreach, logistics and investigative roles. Many of those jobs are filled by sworn law enforcement officers, whose primary mission is public service, but their day-to-day work may not always involve being out on the road.”
During the holidays, when roadways get congested and calls for service increase, agencies often have the ability to shift some of the noncritical roles back to what every officer is originally trained to do: patrol.
“It’s essentially an all-hands-on-deck approach to boost visibility, improve response times and keep the community safe during one of the busiest travel periods of the year,” Trooper Steve said.
Even high-ranking members of an agency might help shoulder the load.
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“When staffing allows, those men and women can put aside the paperwork for a moment and get back to the streets,” he added.
And while it’s highly unlikely, there’s always that tiny holiday chance that the person pulling you over might be your county sheriff or your city police chief. Anything’s possible this time of year.