Ride-along, Part 2: Deschutes County sheriff’s sergeant says enforcement goal is to prevent crashes, tragedies
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- As part of a 3-day Multiagency Traffic Enforcement Detail earlier this week, enforcement from six agencies including the Oregon State Police, Bend and Redmond police departments, as well as the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, were focused on speed, intoxicated and distracted driving, as well as unsafe driving behaviors like illegal passing and not wearing seatbelts, mainly focusing the detail along highways 20, 126, 97 and the Bend Parkway.
My ride-along begins with Sgt. Aaron Harding, who has been with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for 22 years.
Almost immediately after strapping into our seats, this happened: We were in pursuit of a driver who was seen speeding on Highway 97.
Sgt. Harding goes on to ask the driver for their license and insurance before he verifies the driver's information against their database.
The driver's record comes back clean and tells the driver that they're being issued a verbal warning for speeding at 72 mph in a 55 mph section of the highway.
Sgt. Harding says there are parts of the job that are disconcerting.
“Just walking into the unknown. Dealing with the, not predictable situations. Nothing's predictable in law enforcement, but not predictable situations, or dealing with unpredictable people like they're impaired or they're having mental illness or they're just really upset."
Oftentimes, law enforcement can be seen as brash and harsh.
They do have a job to do, though Sgt. Harding said he always walks into a situation with a ‘being fair’ state of mind.
“Everybody starts at zero with me, even if I know them or have history with them. Today is a different day, and that interaction is a new interaction every time,” said Sgt. Harding.
“So I try to be as consistent as I possibly can, as fairly as I possibly can.”
With that being said, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office along with all law enforcement agencies, have one main focus.
“The ultimate goal is to reduce crashes and reduce death on the highway,” said Sgt. Harding.
Traffic safety affects everyone in our community. Bend Police and their partners ask drivers to drive responsibly – slow down, don’t use your phone, and obey the rules of the road.
