PUTNAM COUNTY, TN – December 31, 2018, The Cookeville Police Department and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office will offer free safe rides home to Putnam County residents between the hours of 10 p.m. on December 31st and 2 a.m. on January 1st. Law enforcement statewide will be conducting sobriety checkpoints as usual, but to cut down on the number of automobile accidents and DUI arrests in this area, CPD and PCSO will be offering free sober rides home. Cookeville Police Department will take care of calls made within Cookeville city limits, and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office will attend to all other sober ride requests made within Putnam County.
“Our goal is to make sure that people get home safely. We want to remind everyone that driving under the influence of alcohol or any kind of drugs is illegal and can have devastating consequences to all involved,” said Sheriff Eddie Farris. “We hope everyone is responsible enough not to get behind the wheel impaired, but unfortunately, we’ll arrest a few who make that bad decision.”
Chief Randy Evans emphasized the importance of making the safest choice during the holiday.
“We want everyone to have an enjoyable and safe holiday. So, we encourage anyone that needs a sober ride to please call us. It might prevent a needless tragedy. Don’t put your life or other people’s lives in danger.”
It’s easy to call for a safe ride. You simply call the Police Department or Sheriff’s Office and let the dispatcher know you need a sober ride home. The dispatcher will ask for your name, current location, and address of your home. They will then send an officer/deputy to your location. Patrol units will be using their vehicles to transport impaired drivers and working regular calls for assistance too, so please
be patient when waiting for your ride.
“We want everyone to enjoy the New Year. Please plan ahead and commit to using this free service by adding our contact information into your phone. You will then have our phone number available at the touch of a button,” said CPD Major Scott Winfree.
“We won’t take anyone to another party or a bar. There are local taxi services for that,” PCSO’s Major
Jim Eldridge said. “But if someone has had too much to drink and doesn’t feel safe to drive, we’ll go pick them up — no questions asked.”
Need a safe ride home? Call CPD at 526-2125 (for locations inside Cookeville city limits) or PCSO at 528-8484 (for all other Putnam County locations).
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Media contacts:
Captain Bobby Anderson
blanderson@cookeville-tn.org
Laura Hull, PIO
sheriffpio@putnamcountytn.gov