WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. (HEARTLAND NEWS) - Local law enforcement agencies are increasing patrols this Fourth of July weekend as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary of independence. The Williamson County Sheriff’s Department is among many agencies focusing on impaired drivers.
“It’s the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. People are going to be out, they’re gonna celebrate,” Sheriff Jeff Diederich said. “We just ask that they do it responsibly, be safe and enjoy the holiday weekend.”
Sheriff Diederich said the increased visibility serves as a deterrent to crime. “Certainly our visibility early on as a deterrent, that’s our goal,” Diederich said. “We want to deter crime. We don’t want to just catch people doing things. We want to deter that crime before it even occurs and ensure that the public has a safe environment to celebrate the holiday.”
The sheriff’s department expects to respond to various calls throughout the weekend. “We’ll see impaired drivers, domestics, but you know, on a lighter side, we’ll also see vehicle breakdowns where we have individuals that might be traveling down the highway and in flat tire and so forth,” Diederich said.
Noise complaints related to fireworks are expected to increase. “Tonight will be the really heavy beginning of getting a lot more calls, loud noise complaints, which are gonna be related to fireworks,” Diederich said. “We had some last night. We have to prioritize those calls again, we’re not in the business of policing fireworks. What we’re in the business of is providing, you know, ensuring public safety.”
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The department will have a full staff of deputies ready to respond to calls. “We will have quite a few extra deputies on,” Diederich said. “And in addition, we also have deputies that will be available on an on-call basis if an emergency were to develop that requires additional manpower.”
Traffic on and off the highway is expected to pick up as travelers head to their destinations. “But certainly by tonight we’ll be looking heavily at impaired driving,” Diederich said. “Certainly distracted driving right now. A lot of accidents are the result of distracted driving.”
Diederich warned travelers about active construction zones in the area. “You don’t know if there’s workers present and you know, even when they’re not in full force out working on the roads, which I anticipate this weekend, they probably won’t be, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not individuals out there checking on the site in preparation for future work,” Diederich said.
The sheriff’s message for a safe holiday weekend is straightforward. “There’s gonna be increased traffic out, slow down, be responsible,” Diederich said. “Don’t drive impaired law enforcement, including the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, will be out in full force.”
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