Brig. Gen. Patrick R. Michaelis, post commanding general, and Col. Ryan Hanson, garrison commander, walked through post housing to talk with residents about their quality of life and to listen to any concerns they may have.
Speeding through housing areas was one of the chief complaints from residents.
The list of concerns gathered from residents during the town hall were brought back to their respective directorates for action. Fort Jackson’s Directorate of Emergency Services immediately responded by dispersing speed detection devices and increased military police presence within the housing areas.
“We are in housing every second we can (be),” said Staff Sgt. Casey Ross, 17th Military Police Detachment noncommissioned officer in charge of traffic division. “I don’t think a lot of people think we are because so many of our police cars are unmarked, but there is a lot of presence in housing.”
According to Ross, police frequently patrol the hosing areas to ensure residents and their guests adhere to the posted speed limit of 20 mph.
Ross explained one of the ways they deter speeding is by issuing citations such as central violations bureau, or CVB, or Department of Defense Form 1408.
A CVB citation comes at a cost to the person receiving it whether they are a Soldier or civilian. A DD Form 1408 is a citation issued only to military personnel and is reported directly to their chain of command, the citations can also accumulate points. Once a driver exceeds 12 points within a year, their on-post driving privileges can be suspended.
“Going 10 mph over can cost $90 and increases with your speed. Nobody likes having money taken out of their pockets,” said Sgt. Joshua Rogers, 17th Military Police Detachment. “We caught a guy going 53 in housing on a motorcycle. He got a $250 speeding ticket.”
Ross also explained that in the state of South Carolina, speeders on a federal installation that go 25 mph or more over the speed limit can be arrested for the violation in addition to speeding fines.
“It happens,” she said. “More than you think.”
“The base is small,” Rogers said. “Just because you don’t see us, doesn’t mean we aren’t there.”
The message is clear, slowing down through housing can save money and aggravation.
Though Ross and Rogers may be performing their official duties enforcing the speed limits within housing, they said they are also there to make sure Soldiers and their Family members know they are there to help, keep them safe and are approachable.
“We are all for having kids running around and having fun,” Ross said. “We have the blessing of our chief and provost marshal to play with kids for a little bit is we can. Our main focus is always to keep Fort Jackson safe at all costs.”
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