COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton County Sheriff’s Office was recently the recipient of a more than $18,000 grant to aid with area traffic enforcement. 

The Sheriff’s Office is the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety’s (GOHS) coordinating agency for the Central Region Traffic Enforcement Network (CRTEN). There are currently 16 traffic enforcement networks across the state that help enforce Georgia’s year-round safety belt, speed, and impaired driving campaigns.

The grant, totaling $18,824.48, will go toward the funding of equipment upkeep and traffic enforcement activities.

“There are several parts to the grant, including the upkeep of a trailer that has a holding cell and Intox 9000 breath tests used for road safety checks; providing funds for meals during monthly network meetings at different agencies; providing funds for lodging, food and fuel to attend required training conferences; and assists with the pay of the coordinator and assistant coordinator while they are performing their job duties for the GOHS,” Communications Officer Caitlin Jett said.

The coordinator and assistant coordinator are Cpl. Patrick Gilbert and Deputy Andrew Archie, both employed by the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. Jett said the grant is awarded annually to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office as long as the coordinator or assistant coordinator remains employed with the agency, and or as long as they continue to be partners with the GOHS. 

Gilbert is a 16-year veteran of the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Jett said, and has worked in various divisions within the agency. As the CRTEN Coordinator, he is responsible for arranging the monthly network meetings, keeping up with statistics, and assisting other agencies within the network in attention to his role as a corporal with the Sheriff’s Office.

Archie has been with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office for six years. He is the CRTEN Assistant Coordinator.

The coordinator and assistant coordinator in the CRTEN region plan year-round waves of high visibility, concentrated patrols, multi-jurisdictional road checks and sobriety checkpoints as a partner in campaigns such as “Click It or Ticket,” “Operation Zero Tolerance,” and the “Thunder Taskforce.”

“We want to make sure they can continue their region-wide efforts to protect Georgia motorists from drunk and otherwise dangerous drivers,” GOHS Law Enforcement Services Director Roger Hayes said. “They’ve proven their dedication and this grant serves not only as recognition for that hard work but as means for continuing the GOHS mission of reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities on our roads.”  

Newton County Sheriff Ezell Brown said receiving the grant and being recognized by the state department was an honor.

“It is not only an honor to be awarded the Traffic Enforcement Grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety but to be recognized for the hard work our agency does, day in and day out, to protect the citizens of Newton County,” Brown said. “This grant provides our agency with the resources to continue enforcing Georgia’s year-round safety belt, speed, and impaired driving campaigns, without county funding. It is always our goal to lessen the burden of all taxpayers of this great county we serve. We are very appreciative of the partnership with GOHS and the partnership with all agencies and individuals involved in the traffic enforcement networks.”