Faces in Prevention

Sergeant Larry Savedge
Osceola County , FL

Sgt. Larry Savedge has come up with innovative ways to make the streets of Osceola County a safer place. When Savedge began working for the traffic unit, he was told to make it more aggressive. He decided one way to accomplish this was to be more creative. Then came Operation Vagrant.

"Two deputies dressed in tattered dirty clothing, fake teeth, fake hair, pushing a shopping cart, and holding a cardboard sign which read, 'Sheriff's Traffic Sting In Progress, Buckle Up,' positioned themselves at intersections to observe the traffic control lights," explained Savedge. "They would radio ahead the description of the vehicle and traffic violation to awaiting deputies. The net result of this operation was 171 citations issued."

The operation's success, and uniqueness led to heavy media coverage locally, nationally, and even internationally. Savedge said that he believed the exposure itself made roads safer. "I felt that motorists would be more cautious because the vagrants on the side of the road, the broken down pickup with two stranded motorists, and the tourists may not be what they seemed but actually are law enforcement conducting a traffic operation."

After Operation Vagrant, Savedge tried other unique methods to improve highway safety, such as having officers dress as tourists and day laborers in order to nab speeders. But disguising officers wasn't the only method he tried. In Operation Naughty or Nice, officers set up a checkpoint where safe drivers were rewarded with a $20 gift card to Wal-Mart or Sam's Club, and drivers who didn't use safety belts or child restraints or who didn't have valid driver's licenses, insurance, and registration were fined. The operation stopped 500 drivers and found 88 traffic violations.

"Even though traffic violations were written for negative reinforcement, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office felt giving out the gift certificates was a unique approach to providing positive reinforcement," Savedge said.

Savedge was recently awarded the J. Stannard Baker Award for Highway Safety for his work in Osceola County . He has worked in law enforcement for more than 25 years.