Richmond County Road Safety Checks Remove 20 Impaired Drivers From Roads
A multi-agency road safety checkpoint operation conducted throughout Richmond County on Friday night, February 21, 2025, resulted in the arrest of 20 impaired drivers and numerous other traffic violations.
The operation, conducted by the East Central Traffic Enforcement Network (ECTEN), the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO), ran from 8:00 PM to 3:00 AM.
Sheriff Gino Brantley emphasized the operation’s goal of increasing road safety and reducing fatalities, stating, “Last night’s effort was to increase awareness and save lives.”
The safety checks were reported to have been overwhelmingly positive, with 99% of interactions between law enforcement and the public being amicable. Officers also provided assistance with child safety seat installations.
“You never know when you might save a child’s life at an event such as this,” said Chief Jamey Kitchens of Grovetown, ECTEN Coordinator.
In addition to the DUI arrests, the operation resulted in:
- 9 Seatbelt Citations
- 5 Child Safety Seat Citations
- 2 Uninsured Motorist Citations
- 10 Suspended Driver’s License Citations
- 2 Suspended Tag Citations
- 1 Arrest for an Outstanding Warrant
- 1 Arrest on Felony Drug Charges
Powell Harrelson of GOHS addressed the legality of the checkpoints, citing U.S. and Georgia Supreme Court rulings.
“Overall, last night’s operation was a great success in making Richmond County’s roads safer,” stated Captain Mike Lewis of the RCSO Traffic Division.
