(Photo by Russ Mitchell) Sgt. Brad Hawley of the Clay County Sheriff's Department wraps up a seat belt citation Thursday along Highway 18 south of Spencer. Law enforcement officers throughout Iowa are issuing more citations through sTEP, the special Traffic Enforcement Program. The current sTEP enforcement period continues through Sunday.

Daily Reporter Staff

Drivers going through Clay County don't know which deputy they're going to encounter.

But if they get Sgt. Brad Hawley of the Clay County Sheriff's Office, they shouldn't have a radar detector in their car (he hates that and it doesn't help anyway), they shouldn't go over 55 mph in most areas and definitely shouldn't expect to get out of a ticket if they exceed 66 mph in the afternoon.

They shouldn't expect to dodge enforcement by using a county blacktop compared to a major highway. Speeders at night, especially late-night travelers, are more likely to get pulled over than they would for the same excessive speed during the day.

Assuming all of the equipment is in working order, the older, dusty car isn't watched more closely than the clean new 2008 model. They truck with Clay County plates and the car from Nebraska stand equal chances of a citation.

And, no, deputies with the Clay County Sheriff's Department do not have citation quotas -- they're illegal.

That said, as a supervisor, if Hawley sees a deputy go days on end without writing a citation, he'd want to know why. A computer program, based on contact through the 911 communications center, tracks the patrol habits of deputies. Administrators know where stops take place, how often they happen as well as the outcome.

During the sTEP (special Traffic Enforcement Program) time frame, Hawley is more likely to write a citation for seat belt violations. That's what the guy in the blue Cadillac with Pottawattamie County plates found out Thursday afternoon along Highway 71 south of Spencer.

That driver's odds were a lot better in the few days before the statewide sTEP program began at midnight Thursday. The enforcement period expires at the end of the day on Sunday, July 6.

"The seat belt compliance check initially is done prior to a sTEP time," Hawley said on Thursday. "We go out and check compliance from a stationary position. We try to monitor the number of cars and then the number of violations."

No citations are issued -- deputies are simply taking a survey.

"Then when the sTEP times arrive, which today is the first day, then we go out and, really we're pretty flexible about what we can do," Hawley said. "We can sit stationary and just try to look for seat belt violations or we can just patrol on the move, which is more common. Then as we see different violations, we can initiate a traffic stop and go from there."

Earlier in the afternoon, Hawley did a U-turn near the Buena Vista County border for a northbound Ford F-150 truck with Minnesota plates. The driver was on his way back to the Twin Cities area. He hadn't been home for months.

The rush was understandable, but didn't earn him a get-out-of-county-free-card for his speeding violation. "I was late for work," or an appointment or "I'm on my way to the hospital" to see a friend or relative doesn't usually work either.

The Ford truck owner had some issues with his documentation. He had a copy of the truck's title, but no actual registration. His insurance was likely up-to-date, but he presented Hawley with an expired card. Both violations, along with the speeding, warranted a potential citation.

Hawley generally doesn't exhaust the full array of infraction options when he makes a stop. The Minnesotan, who was going 70 mph, was simply cited with a "10 over" for going 65 in a 55 mph zone.

Drunk driving is another concern over the holiday weekend. It's Hawley's job to determine the difference between one drink and one too many.

"A lot of that is officer discretion and officer experience," Hawley said. "If I make contact with a driver and I can smell an alcoholic beverage on his breath or her breath… right off the bat, I think there's enough of a reason to take it to the next step and make sure they're not impaired. Then maybe early on I can determine that they've just had one or just had a couple recently and that's why the smell is stronger."

Officers from across the state, including the Spencer Police Department and the Iowa State Patrol, will participate in the July 4 holiday sTEP wave.

"Too many people still take the attitude that it will never happen to me but fatal crashes can, and do, happen every day," said sTEP Coordinator Randy Hunefeld.

The Cadillac driver from the Council Bluffs area will have to find $88 for his seat belt violation.

"We've made a lot of progress, but there are still too many people in Iowa dying because they are unbuckled," Hunefeld said. "That's why this July and throughout the year, law enforcement agencies are increasing seat belt enforcement to ensure that drivers and front seat passengers in all vehicles are buckled up day and night."