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Madison County Sheriff Klingler, Lt. Sanford receive
national highway safety award

Sheriff Roy C. Klingler and Lt. Cameron Stanford of the Madison County Sheriff's Office were honored this week for outstanding commitment to multi-jurisdictional law enforcement efforts in Idaho.

The two received National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "Safety Champion Awards" from John M. Moffat, NHTSA regional administrator for the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Alaska. The presentation took place during an Idaho Traffic Safety Commission meeting hosted by the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) in Boise.

Access ITD's Facebook page here to see photos of Stanford, Klingler and Moffat.

Together, Stanford and Klingler secured more than $526,000 in grant funds to implement electronic citation equipment in seven agencies throughout three southeast Idaho counties - one of the largest amounts awarded by NHTSA for automatic citation equipment in Idaho.

"Lt. Stanford has demonstrated an impressive ability to identify law enforcement needs, unite agencies and provide deputies with more efficient tools to enforce the law. He is known for his admirable leadership and dedication to highway safety, which has brought tremendous funding to rural law enforcement agencies in southeast Idaho that would not have been possible without Sheriff Klingler's support" said Moffat. "It is nice that we can give national recognition to their efforts."

Stanford's active role as a Law Enforcement Liaison for ITD combined with his technology expertise and good-humored personality complements his commendable work ethic, Klingler explained.

"He is a true liaison," Klingler said. "He's very knowledgeable and really fun to be around. Everybody seems to get along with him well and he seems to be in tune with everybody."

The new citation equipment will allow law enforcement officers to print a citation after scanning a driver's license and registration, greatly reducing the overall traffic-stop time and increasing citation accuracy. E-Ticketing also will decrease the amount of time police and violators are stopped at the roadside, lessening the chance of being hit by passing cars.

With less paperwork and better agency connectivity, Klingler said Idaho drivers benefit from more productive policing.

"Personally, I am not a big ticket person," Klingler said. "But this isn't all about tickets. It's about efficiency and being able to spend more time helping the citizens - whether it's to keep them slowed down, stop aggressive driving or DUI violators."

Participating agencies include: Madison County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Fremont County Sheriff's Office, Rexburg Police Department, Rigby Police Department, Ashton Police Department and St. Anthony Police Department.

The Idaho Traffic Safety Commission reviews traffic safety issues to reduce traffic-related deaths, serious injuries and economic losses, promote local and state cooperation, and recommend programs for federal aid. The commission consists of 13 members including the chairs of the Idaho Senate Transportation Committee and the House Transportation and Defense Committee.