Sheriff’s Office places more deputies for holidays
- Patrol Division of Madison County Sheriff’s Office. CONTRIBUTED
MADISON – Deputies with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office are ready for the onslaught of holiday revelers on the road and the high volume of motorists.
To help with safety, especially from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day, the Sheriff’s Office “will have additional deputies on patrol, especially from our School Resource Officers (SROs). While students are out of school, our SROs will fill in on patrol functions throughout Christmas and New Year’s holidays,” Chief Deputy Dave Jernigan said.
Madison County Sheriff’s Office does not work vehicle accident cases. “The Alabama State Troopers do this for us,” Jernigan said. Alabama State Troopers started to heighten patrols and enforcement on Dec. 16 and will continue through Jan. 1, 2017.
“Troopers investigated 14 traffic deaths during the five-day Thanksgiving travel period” in 2016, Secretary of Law Enforcement Stan Stabler said.
During the holiday season, the number one mistake that motorists make is drinking and driving. “Distracted driving is second, and speeding is the third” major error, Jernigan said.
Madison County Sheriff’s Office normally does not set up DUI checkpoints at this time of year because of manpower constraints. “We do not have a separate Traffic Unit like Huntsville Police Department has,” Jernigan said.
Blake Dorning is Sheriff of Madison County. Dorning appointed Jernigan to the position of Chief Deputy of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office on March 17, 2014. Jernigan is responsible for all enforcement operations in the Sheriff’s Office and commands 165 employees.
Jernigan’s operational responsibilities include the Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigation, Records and Communications, Administrative/Finance and Special Operations divisions, Pistol Permit Operations and Office of Professional Standards and Ethics.
The Civil Process Office for the Madison County Sheriff is located at 100 North Side Square, #206 in downtown Huntsville. For more information, call
256-532-3414, email chief@madisoncountyal.gov or visit madisoncountysheriffal.org, Twitter: @mcsosheriffAL or Facebook.
