Cape May County SHIELD Task Force Nets Two DWI Arrests During Latest Countywide Traffic Crackdown

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — A countywide traffic enforcement initiative aimed at reducing dangerous driving and preventing serious crashes resulted in 51 traffic stops, 25 summonses and two drunken driving arrests during its latest operation, Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland announced Monday.

The enforcement detail, conducted Aug. 8, marked the third operation carried out this summer under the county's SHIELD Task Force — an initiative created to target speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving and other behaviors that contribute to serious and fatal crashes.

SHIELD, which stands for Safety on Highways through Intensive Enforcement & Law Enforcement Deployment, was established by Sutherland through a countywide law enforcement directive allowing participating officers to conduct traffic enforcement outside their normal municipal jurisdictions anywhere within Cape May County.

Officials say the expanded authority allows local, county and state law enforcement agencies to work together and concentrate resources on roadways identified through crash statistics and traffic data as having a higher risk of serious accidents.

The latest enforcement operation focused on several busy corridors, including Route 47 between the George Redding Bridge and Route 9, Route 47 north between Reeds Beach Road and Indian Trail Road, and the entire length of Indian Trail Road.

Eight law enforcement agencies participated in the coordinated detail.

"Our goal is not simply to issue summonses," Sutherland said. "Our goal is to change dangerous driving behaviors, prevent crashes, and save lives."

Sutherland said the SHIELD Task Force was created to provide a coordinated, countywide approach to traffic enforcement, allowing officers to be deployed where they can have the greatest impact on roadway safety.

Cape May County Chiefs of Police Association President Chief Dekon W. Fashaw Sr. said the partnership strengthens law enforcement's ability to improve traffic safety throughout the county.

"The SHIELD Task Force represents a significant commitment to the safety and well-being of everyone who lives in, works in, or visits Cape May County," Fashaw said. "By bringing together our local, county and state law enforcement partners under one unified mission, we are strengthening our collective ability to reduce dangerous driving behaviors through coordinated enforcement, public education and proactive community outreach."

The SHIELD Task Force includes the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office, municipal police departments throughout the county, the Cape May County Sheriff's Office, the New Jersey State Police and other participating agencies.

Officials say additional SHIELD enforcement operations are planned throughout the remainder of the year as part of an ongoing effort to reduce traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries across Cape May County.