Jones County Sheriff Wants To Save Lives

Driving is one of our deadliest daily routines. That's why Sheriff, Alex Hodge of Jones county wants radar within the county.

"Over the last ten years, we've been aggressively as a state, as an association, as sheriffs, as citizens trying to get our legislators to authorize through law the sheriffs the discretion to use radar," Jones said.

Without radar, sheriff Hodge finds the roads unsafe.

"We know through statistics it is very proven fact that speed kills. What radar does is it gives us a tool to save lives," Hodges explained.

According to statistics, speeding accounted for 27 percent of deaths in the previous years. Which is a number that sheriff Hodges is fighting to bring down.

Unfortunately in 2015, Jones County led the state of Mississippi in juvenile related crashes and that's sad," Hodges stated.

Sheriff Hodges believes that radar is a way to slow motorists down, and help keep the public safe.

However, some citizens might be skeptical about the idea, believing that this is just a way for the county to raise money. Sheriff Hodges say these accusations are false.

"In today's system we benefit no way, what so ever from tickets. So we have no other motivation other than to enforce the law and save people's lives to write people tickets," Hodge said.

That's why he wants legislators and public officials to move toward abolishing the law that currently keeps him from being able to keep his roads safe.

"Give us the discretion to use radar," Hodge said. "Let us save lives and lets take the politics out of doing what's right."