Ohio law enforcement officers are offering training seminars to commercial drivers in order to make state roads safer for all citizens.
Late last month, authorities initiated a program known as “Truck Shield.” This safety training program is designed to teach commercial drivers such as truckers and bus drivers how to tell if someone they’re sharing the road with might be engaged in a criminal activity. Later this year, regular non-commercial drivers should be able to get in on the action by visiting local patrol posts.
The thinking behind the initiative is that there are far more commercial truck drivers than there are law enforcement officials. Officials hope that by making commercial drivers feel more comfortable about reporting offenses they can crack down on crime and make their state safer.
The type of criminal activities law enforcement officers are on the hunt for varies, but in particular, officers are hoping to be able to crackdown on human and drug trafficking. In addition to teaching truckers what to look out for if a suspect is engaging in these types of activities, authorities hope to educate about the signs of impaired driving, reckless driving, and threats to homeland security.
Violations could be obvious, say a car driving recklessly across the lanes, while others could be more subtle, like an older individual traveling with a young girl or boy who seems on edge and afraid to make eye contact with anyone.