Los Santos County Sheriff's Department "A TRADITION OF SERVICE" News Release December 3rd, 2024 |
- SHERIFF'S TRAFFIC SERVICES DETAIL, A NEW ERA BEGINS
- Blaine County: Today marks a bittersweet moment for our county as we bid farewell to the Highway Enforcement Division. This division has been a cornerstone of safety and professionalism, known for managing road closures, conducting checkpoints to keep our roads safe, and equipping our deputies with advanced training to resolve dangerous pursuits safely. Today we are rebranding and welcomes The Traffic Services Detail to our department.
Since its inception in 2020, HED has been a premier division, serving as a launching pad for many deputies’ careers within the department. For many of our supervisors and command staff, HED was their first division they joined, and many of them continued within HED to help guide the future generation.
The SID team reached out to Commander Steve Smyth and discussed the upcoming changes to HED/TSD.
What inspired you to join the Highway Enforcement Division?
Commander Steve Smyth
There's a long history around my passion for Traffic when it comes to Law Enforcement. Joining the LSPD in November 2019, my immediate goal was to join the then - Traffic Enforcement Division, as I had previously worked in another department outside of the city where I first fell in love for traffic branches. I had the pleasure and opportunity of once rebranding TED in the LSPD in to what used to be called the Vinewood Traffic Division, where the division was modernised and made a primary assignment. This was probably the height of traffic enforcement in the LSPD to date, and I'm very proud of the division it once was.
Since joining the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department, during both stints I have enjoyed here, I have very much stayed in tune with my love of traffic, and have contributed small amounts to HED to this point. In my last tenure, I pretty much focused on SED and Office of the Sheriff, so I never really got my teeth in to the division. However, this time around, leading Patrol Operations, I will once again place the spotlight on that side of my career.
What changes can the public expect with this transition?
Since its creation by former Sheriff Marco Davis, the Highway Enforcement Division has remained pretty much the same to this day. A lot has changed in the years since, and the state is very much a different state to what it was back then. Unfortunately the division has been largely at a stand still, and as a result, has gotten stale and out of date.
The primary aim I have with this is to bring the division in to 2024. It will have a more professional and modern look, both administratively and functionally. We have some exciting new roles and responsibilities for the division, such as Departmental Traffic Collision Reports, as well as what will hopefully become, notice to correct citations. Our goal is to also work a lot more closely with other divisions, such as GND and K9, where I am particularly excited by a possible joint effort between ourselves and GND to target street racing gangs throughout the State of San Andreas.
With these new objectives, alongside some exciting new equipment for our Deputies, I am hoping that the division gains a new lease of life, just like VTD once had in the LSPD. This is exciting times for the division, and I am confident that those who had a passion for HED can bring this forward in to this fresh new era for the Traffic Services Detail.
What is a message would you like to share with the public about traffic safety?
We could beat to death the same drum we always beat when it comes to traffic safety, however, this division will aim to do so much more with the public than just enforce speed. We're hoping to engage more with the community, particularly on a personal level. We hope that people will spot us on the street and recognize us, and not shy away from coming over and having a chat. Policing is not all about us vs civilians, and I hope that we can bring that element to our new traffic branch in the coming months!
We here at the Los Santos County Sheriff's Department are looking forward to this new chapter but also reconfirming to our commitment to protecting the citizens that call county home and the countless visitors. From the shores of Grapeseed to the mountains, to the rapids of Casady Canyon to the lush vineyards, the sheriff department will be there to ensure the safety to everyone.((A throwback from HED's time from our internal media channel))
###For Information, Contact:
Deputy Sheriff I Mason Ross
Writer, Sheriff's Information Division
[email protected]
Sheriff's Information Division
Los Santos County Sheriff's Department
Procopio Promenade 1, Paleto Bay
Los Santos, SA, 909
