Police start seatbelt checks

If you plan to be driving anywhere in Indiana after Nov. 24 it would be a good idea to make sure you are buckled up.\nThis Sunday officers from the Indiana State Police, Bloomington Police Department and IU Police Department will be setting up pullover zones and roving patrols to make sure citizens are securely fastened in their vehicles. A violation will result in a $25 ticket, but won't put any points on the violator's license.\nBPD Captain Mike Diekhoff said the number of tickets issued depends somewhat on the time of year. \n"We usually seem to be busier during the warmer months," he said.\nPolice officials said they do not know where they will be setting up enforcement zones until the program starts. \nTim Lewis, Operation Pullover coordinator and IUPD Sergeant, said IUPD and BPD usually share zones because of overlapping jurisdictions and the need to share resources.\nThe Governor's Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving of the Criminal Justice Institute decides how many "blitzes" (enforcement periods) there will be per year. Police departments from across the nation can then apply for a grant to fund the program, Lewis said in an earlier interview with the IDS. \nEven though it is possible to get pulled over for other infractions at these points, Lewis said seatbelts are the main thing the police will be checking. \n"There's no reason for someone to get pulled over, unless they are not wearing a seatbelt," Lewis said.\nIn past "Click It or Ticket" operations, from Feb. 24 to March 9, off-duty BPD officers issued 88 seatbelt violations and five child restraint citations.\n"Some people if they get a ticket for a seat-belt say 'Thank you' and go on," ISP Trooper Jackie Taylor said. "But some people call and complain about the ticket, though they are fewer in number. What those people don't understand is that it is already a state law to wear your seat belt."\nThe upcoming "Click it or Ticket" enforcement is the final blitz of 2002 and will last two weeks.