Click-It Or Ticket—

Police Heighten Seatbelt Enforcement At Checkpoint

Eight police officers from four towns staged a seatbelt compliance checkpoint for motorists traveling on the busy South Main Street (Route 25) on Monday afternoon, resulting in the issuance of more than two dozen $37 infraction tickets for failure to wear a seatbelt, according to police.

The local seatbelt enforcement project is part of a national enforcement campaign known as “Click-It or Ticket,” which police annually conduct during the second half of November. The enforcement project will continue through November 29.

Police from Newtown, Bethel, Brookfield, and Redding held the enforcement checkpoint on South Main Street, just north of Sand Hill Plaza. Police directed motorists who were not wearing seatbelts to drive to an area off the street for enforcement action.

Police officers parked in unmarked vehicles alongside the roadway spotted motorists who were not wearing seatbelts. They then radioed information identifying the vehicles that those motorists were driving so that the officers at the nearby checkpoint could take enforcement.

Police stopped vehicles in which either the driver or the front-seat passenger were not wearing seatbelts.

During the enforcement project, which ran for several hours, police issued 27 infraction tickets for failure to wear a seatbelt. Those tickets carry a $37 fine and are appealable in court. Police also issued two warnings for failure to wear a seatbelt.

Also, police handed out two infraction tickets for child safety seat violations.

Additionally, police issued motorists ten infractions for various motor vehicle violations.

During the checkpoint, police made two custodial arrests.

Police said that at about 1:52 pm, they stopped motorist Hal Kessler, 61, of Brookfield for not wearing a seatbelt. Kessler received an infraction ticket for that violation, police said.

Police said they additionally charged Kessler with possession of marijuana and with possession of drug paraphernalia. After processing, police said they released Kessler on $250 bail for a December 1 appearance in Danbury Superior Court.

Police said that at about 2:34 pm, they stopped motorist Richard Bretton, 48, of 12 Blue Spruce Drive for not wearing a seatbelt. Police said they charged him with driving without a seatbelt and also with driving with a suspended license.

Police said they released Bretton on $500 bail for a November 19 court appearance.

Besides the November 16 seatbelt checkpoint in Newtown, police scheduled similar checkpoints for November 17 in Redding, November 23 in Bethel, and November 24 in Brookfield.

The enforcement program is financed with highway safety grant money which was obtained through the Redding Police Department.