Shelby County law enforcement agencies combine for ‘Click it or Ticket’ campaign

SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - On Monday, Simpsonville Police Assistant Chief Thomas Brummer’s office was his patrol car. Camped along US Highway 60, better known as Shelbyville Road, Brummer had his radar gun in his hand and his eyes peeled for seat belt violations as part of the county’s ‘Click it or Ticket’ campaign.

The initiative is a two-week partnership involving the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and other local departments designed to patrol popular roads more aggressively around Memorial Day Weekend.

The ultimate goal is to make sure people are wearing their seat belts while they’re driving.

For many Americans, Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of summer, meaning tens of millions will be on the roads. Brummer said the extra traffic often brings distracted driving, reckless driving, and other issues.

“A small stop like a seat belt can always run up to a large arrest, or drug trafficking, or something of that nature,” Brummer said.

Those issues come up more than people think, according to Shelby County Captain Kyle Tipton.

Last week, thanks to citizen complaints of reckless and impaired driving, Tipton organized a one-day impact enforcement detail with other departments both in Shelby County and outside of it. Similar to the ‘Click it or Ticket’ campaign, Tipton said officers patrolled the heavily-driven roads in the county, looking for those issues. He told WAVE 3 News in just a few hours, officers issued 200 traffic charges. The charges ranged from simple speeding and seat belt tickets to drug trafficking arrests.

“Our goal was to simply bring awareness,” Tipton said. “We just wanted to show a presence that, ‘Hey, we do hear you and we’re going to address these issues.’ And we still have a job to do.”

Many people traveling on Shelbyville Road Monday noticed the extra blue lights around town. Some, like Danika Underwood, said they do not mind the increased patrols so long as it encourages people to drive more safely.

“Wear your seat belt, point blank period,” Underwood said. “They’re out here to do their job. They’re out here for our protection. Wear your seat belt and you won’t have to deal with the law.”

Brummer said officers will continue to deliver that message to drivers, hoping it will sink in, and people can enjoy the holiday weekend and make it home safely after it.

“If we can get people out here to wear their seat belts more, hopefully, we can save some lives,” Brummer said.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 90.7% of adults who sat in the front seat of a car in 2019 wore their seat belts.

In 2021, AAA expects travel to rebound as COVID-19 restrictions are eased nationwide. AAA expects 37 million people to travel for Memorial Day Weekend.

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