The numbers are in for 2000 and troopers at the Ironton Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol have seen a slight decrease in the number of accidents compared to 1999.

Thursday, June 28, 2001

The numbers are in for 2000 and troopers at the Ironton Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol have seen a slight decrease in the number of accidents compared to 1999.

According to the OSHP’s statewide annual report, Ironton troopers responded to 1,267 crashes in 2000, 71 less crashes than the reported 1,338 crashes on the county’s highway’s in 1999.

Ironton Post commander Lt. Carl Roark said several factors have attributed to the decrease of crashes. Roark said more troopers on the road, "aggressive enforcement and public education" have been effective tools in the reduction of crashes.

Aggressive enforcement has also yielded more road arrest. According to the statistics, troopers made 12,881 arrests in 2000 versus 11,438 arrests in 1999.

The Ironton Post is part of the Jackson District which is composed of 10 other county posts.

The district’s numbers also reflect a decrease in the number of fatal crashes with troopers in the district seeing an 11 percent decrease in the number of fatal traffic accidents in 2000 as compared to 1999.

The increased numbers in arrests and the decrease in crashes is a direct reflection of the newly adopted mission of the patrol.

In a letter to Lt. Gov. Maureen O’Connor, who also serves as the director of the Department of Public Safety, OSHP Superintendent Kenneth L. Morckel said the statewide statistics "illustrates the Patrol’s…extraordinary devotion of achieving" the new mission set by the OSHP. The new mission statement of the OSHP is, "to save lives, investigate crime, and enforce the law with compassion and unbiased professionalism."